Where Can You Run To Escape From Yourself?
by Breiscrazy
Summary: The Four Brothers come back for their mothers funeral and find out she's adopted 2 kids during the last 3 months. Siblings, one of which is being taken on by their grandmother, another left behind. Though she isn't to happy about being with the brothers.
1. Summary

**This is just a small summary of the story that I'm going to write. It's my second one and yet another Four Brothers one (LOVE THAT MOVIE!). I might not be able to update everyday like the last story, but bear with me:) I have exams and final projects coming up, but a whole week off afterward in which I'll be able to definitely write some chapters. Well, I'll get on with the summary:**

Basically, this is about the four brothers coming back for their mothers' funeral and learning from Jerry (the one who stayed behind) that their mom adopted two kids during the past three months, Elizabeth 17, and Charlie 15. The two couldn't be more opposite, Elizabeth being a total outcast and always getting into trouble, and Charlie being the kid who loves everyone and has never once gotten into trouble with the law. The reason for this will be explained in the story (most likely the first or second chapter, but I don't want to give too much away). Anyway, now that Evelyn is gone, the kids are back in the foster system. Luckily for Charlie, their grandmother has finally been found and contacted by one of their social workers and is willing to take one of the kids, but not both due to her old age. The siblings have been in some bad situations with foster homes before, and not wanting her younger brother to be in any more danger, Elizabeth tells Charlie that he will be the one going. They've never been separated, mostly due to Elizabeth's protectiveness, and now for the first time, Elizabeth is truly alone. Will the brothers take pity on the sibling left in the system, the young girl their mother took in, or will Elizabeth be left alone to fend for herself. Guess you'll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure…Bobby and Elizabeth are both used to being the oldest, taking orders from no one, and being protective…there will definitely be personality clashes!

**Let me know what you guys think!**


	2. Introductions

_Okay, here it goes, the first chapter. I'll keep this intro short and sweet so you can read it right away. Reviews are appreciated:)_

She walked casually along the graveyard, not appearing as if she had any desire at all to follow her brother, Charlie, up to these _strangers_. Okay, she knew Jerry, one of her mother's adopted sons. He was black and the second oldest of four boys she had taken in from the foster care system. The girl didn't necessarily like Jerry and she was pretty sure he wasn't fond of her either. Especially after their first meeting.

_Flashback_

"_Elizabeth!" Charlie hissed from the family room. "What?" She replied coming to the doorway of the kitchen, not really interested. "Someone's at the door and trying to get in!" Charlie was in a panic. "Chill, it's probably Evelyn." Elizabeth replied coolly. They had only been there for a week, and Elizabeth had no intentions yet of calling this lady her 'mother'. "No! She's upstairs. Came home hours ago. Don't you pay attention?" Charlie said a little louder than a whisper. "You're starting to sound like my teachers." Elizabeth joked. But her mood changed as the door actually began to open. She placed herself between her brother and the attacker, grabbing the lamp off the coffee table. As the intruder came into the house Elizabeth chucked the vase as hard as she could, hitting the man in the shoulder. "What the hell!" The man screamed. "Mom!" Charlie cried out. "What are you punks doing here?" The man asked angrily. "Get out before I call the police." "Go ahead, I'd love to see that!" Elizabeth shouted, prepared to fight this male who was MUCH bigger than she was. Just then Evelyn had come down the stairs, quickly breaking up the impending fight or police calls, and explaining that this was her son Jerimiah, and tan explaining to Jerimiah that she had taken in two foster kids. She sent Charlie and Elizabeth to bed so she could talk with Jerry, but Elizabeth, never one to listen, hung around near the stairs. Even though Evelyn and Jerry were in the kitchen, Elizabeth was used to listening in on people who were talking about her, and she understood every word._

_Jerry thought Evelyn was too old to deal with more delinquents and that she needed to relax, let someone else have the kids. "Typical" thought Elizabeth. Already someone wants to get rid of me. She was used to it, and she had lasted a week, so considered it a pretty good run. "Liz?" Came her brother's voice. She looked at the brown haired, brown eyed face that appeared around the doorway of his room. "I like this place." He said simply. "Can we at least try to be good this time?" Liz sighed…it was always her fault they got kicked out. Always getting into fights, talking back, or setting a household object on fire. She had already gotten suspended from school, an act she was sure would make the old lady get rid of them, but it didn't work. "Okay, but no promises." Liz agreed, knowing that trouble would find her even if she wasn't looking…_

_End Flashback_

Somehow, through all the trouble that had located her, Evelyn was always on her side and always accepting of her. Elizabeth had come to love the old, white haired angel she soon called her mother. The thought of her mother, whose funeral she was now attending, brought tears to her eyes. But she couldn't cry. She wouldn't give those bastards who shot her mom the privilege and she had to be strong for her brother, like always. "Jerry!" Her brother called out happily. He turned around and smiled at the fifteen year old. "What's up little man?" He asked giving him a hug. Then Jerry looked up to see the straggling Liz. Finally she looked up through her dark brown hair, with a few blond streaks, and her chocolate brown eyes met Jerry's. "How you holding up?" He asked, trying to be civil with her for at least today. Liz just shrugged, staring at the other two guys before her. She had never met them, but felt like she knew them too well. Evelyn loved to tell stories about them and had pictures everywhere. The shorter white one was Bobby, apparently a trouble-maker and bad ass. "I could take him." Liz thought to herself. Then her eyes met the younger, yet tallest of the brothers. Jack. He was white, with the messiest hair Liz thought she'd ever seen, but she wasn't about to say anything. She could see the pain behind his eyes. He was 21, only four years older than her, but somehow, seemed to hold the innocence her brother had. Bobby protected him, Liz thought. Even if Evelyn hadn't told her, she would've known. It was the same with her and Charlie.

Suddenly, Liz felt all eyes on her. She looked up to meet Bobby and Jack's stares and she stared right back. A lot of people she knew looked away when they caught someone looking at them…not her, she challenged their gaze right back. "Who're they?" Bobby questioned Jerimiah. "Ma adopted them, just awhile ago, though she's only had them for three months." Charlie greeted the two men happily giving them quick guy hugs, but Liz hung back, making sure she was out of reach.

"Mercer!" someone yelled from behind the stationary group. All five of them turned around. "Liz Mercer." The man said with a small laugh. "Great my social worker." Muttered Liz. "How many times do I have to tell you, don't run away from me!" he said tired. "I didn't run away." Liz responded lifelessly. "No your right, it was a dead sprint!" said a cold voice, her other social worker.

"Hey Jerry." Luke, the black and nicer of the two social workers said. "Yeah high." Mark added, the white and meaner of the two, always putting Liz down. Luke then asked jerry a favour, "Could you watch these guys for me while I fill out some paperwork?" "Sure." Jerry replied. "We don't need a baby sitter." Liz began to protest. "You're all going in the same direction, and only for an hour if it makes you feel any better Liz." Luke replied tired. Liz was about to protest but caught the look on her brother's face. This was tough enough on everyone, being at their mother's funeral, she didn't need to make it worse…she could be a jerk later. "Fine." She said reluctantly beginning to follow the men. "Have fun with your brothers." Luke called. Liz stiffened. These were NOT her brothers. She didn't even know them, and in an hour, she would never have to see them again, because now she was back in the system. Right back where she started seven years ago…when she was first left on the doorstep of the foster care system…But she was different now. Back then she had hopes and dreams, that her mom and dad would come back for her, that she could learn to like these new people, but her distance from her new 'mothers' from the hope of her old one returning cause them to dislike her. The pain and loneliness in the foster homes hardened her. The abuse broke her. Her purpose became to protect her brother, so that he could live. And now he could, their grandmother was coming to look after him, he could be free. But for his freedom, she would remain trapped in the system. She didn't care though. Only until April and then she was 18 and on her own…if she decided to live that long.

"Are you coming or what?" Charlie asked, sadness beginning to creep into his eyes. "Or what?" She responded lovingly. She laughed. He was the only person she was soft with, and now she would lose him. She would enjoy their hour they had left.

**Let me know what you think!**


	3. Goodbyes

_Yeah! I love reviews! Thanks so much. I love it when people write to me about my stories and tell me how to make it better. Anyway, here's the next chapter, things are moving kind of slow, but I'm trying to establish characters right now so bear with me. The story will be sad and cold for a few chapters yet, but I'm hoping that it will make the warmth and humour of later chapters more valuable. Luv ya'll!_

As everyone dispersed from the funeral, Elizabeth sighed and a tightening feeling began in her heart. This was it. Her brother was leaving to go live with her grandmother, who could only take on one of them. She walked over to Luke and Mark's car trying hard not to let her emotions show. Her brother had already cried enough during the funeral, he didn't need to let any more tears fall. The funeral had been filled with crying. The three of the four brothers that did show up all spoke, Jack breaking down half-way through his speech, and Bobby comforting him. She watched the brothers start to head to their cars and was surprised to see Luke chasing them, but thought no more of it as she turned to say goodbye to the only person left that she could trust in this world.

"You be tough now and don't let those kids at school rough you up too much. Throw in a few punches now and then, but don't start nothin' you can't finish." Liz said, her voice pretty steady in complete contrast to her mind which was ready to burst with all the emotions swimming in it.

"Yeah. Yeah. I know." Charlie responded tears staring to form in his eyes.

"I don't want none of that! Heck, we'll see each other in the spring. April, remember? I'm 18 and I'll come find you. Now," Liz took a twenty, all the money she had, out of her pocket, "you get into ANY trouble, anything bad happens at home or school, you leave. You use this money to get as far away as possible. Contact Luke to find me, but don't tell him nothin'. You understand?" Liz's eyes were dead serious. This was the first time Charlie would be on his own, without Liz to protect him from punks or bad foster parents.

"I understand…Will you be alright?" Charlie's tears were falling freely.

"What are you talking about? Of course I'll be fine! I've got us this far haven't I?" Liz smirked at her brother, trying to lighten the mood.

Charlie only nodded and then laughed as Liz poked him right in the kidneys-his weakness! Liz pulled her brother into a hug, afraid to let go.

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"Wait!" shouted Luke from behind the brothers. "Jerry, could I have a minute?"

"Yeah, sure. What is it?" Asked an emotionally exhausted Jerry.

"It's about Liz…" Luke began.

"Oh no! I don't think so Luke. I've got the girls, and my wife Camille, and Jack and Bobby aren't staying long…" Jerry began.

"I haven't even asked you anything." Luke said, sounding a little down.

"What do you want?" Bobby said, wanting to get out of the graveyard as soon as possible.

"Would you mind taking Liz for a bit, just until I can find her a better foster home than the one she's about to go in?" Luke's eyes were pleading.

Bobby looked over at the hugging sister and brother and his fists tightened in anger as Mark tore the two apart, pulling Charlie away to a car, which was to take him far away from Detroit, and his sister. "What do you mean, the one she's about to go into"

"What's she like?" Jack chimed in.

"Well," Luke began. "In response to Jack's question, the two couldn't be more different. Charlie's an Angel, not like your brother, I mean he's well behaved. Never been in trouble with the cops, always on his best behaviour…"

"He asked about Liz." Jerry cut in, knowing Luke didn't want to bring up Liz's behavious.

"Liz has…a Mercer spirit I guess you could say." Luke chuckled a bit. "Has gotten into trouble with the cops enough for the both of 'em, and she has no idea when to keep her mouth shut…"

"Then why would we wanna deal with her?" Bobby asked.

"And how could they possibly be so different?" Jack added.

Luke sighed and turned to Liz as she was being introduced to her new foster parent. "there's a reason why she's like that. Didn't always used to be that way. Foster system turned her cold. Her first foster homes we're alright, but the parents couldn't connect with her, she felt her real parents would come back, she withdrew, felt abandoned. She would always come back. Her brother went everywhere with her, to each home. If he didn't, she would raise hell. Even kidnapped him once from another home and set fire to the people's shed. Anyway, as time carried on and the kids got older, things got worse. Nobody wants teenagers-it's like dogs. They like the puppies, the cute ones. They got sent back faster, and finally no one cared where they went and they got set up in some pretty bad homes."

"How come her brother isn't that way though?" Jack asked again.

"My question is still there too." Bobby said, losing his patience.

"She protected her brother." Luke sighed. "from the streets, from the homes. She did all the fighting, took all the beating and the blame so her brother could live a half-decent life." He turned to Bobby, "When Evelyn got her she was a lost cause, but somehow your mom reached her and she started doing better. I don't want all that to be lost because of this jerk."

The brothers looked up to see Liz being introduced to her new foster 'parent'. They could tell he was a jerk even from far away, as he grabbed Liz roughly to drag her to the car.

"Why can't you stop this if you know it's not a good placement?" Jerry asked slightly concerned.

"My partner checked him out, not me and he said there's nothing that would give us reason to believe he's bad, but trust me, I've seen some of the kids that come out of that place. It's not my call this time, it's his turn to place her and unless you, the sons of the deceased take her, she's up for grabs. My partner gave me ten minutes to convince you guys…" Luke stopped realizing Bobby was gone.

"Is that reason enough to not place her there?" Jack asked sarcastically.

Everyone turned to look at Liz.

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Liz jerked her arm out of her captures grasp. "What the hell do you think your doing? Grabbing me like that?" She demanded angrily.

"Let's go!" He growled attempting to grab the girl again, but Liz moved just out of reach. She was in shock. Usually people waited until they were out of sight to be rough, but this guy was bad in broad daylight. This was not good and she felt threatened-and acted like it.

"Back off!" She warned as he made yet another grab attempt.

This guy was much bigger than she was and faster, and at last grabbed the collar of her jacket. He lifted her off the ground. Shiver ran down Liz's spine all the way past her ripped jeans and all the way to her size-too-big runners. She did the only thing she could do-kicked him hard! Right between the legs. He dropped her and she staggered back, looking up angrily. He raised his arm and Liz braced herself for the impact, but it never came. She looked up to see that Bobby guy standing between her and the attacker.

"There's been a mistake." He said angrily, using all his power not to knock this guy out in public. "She's coming with us."

"That's the mistake." Liz muttered, not too excited about having to go with him.

Bobby heard the muttering and gave her a look, but than began to walk back to his brothers. Liz took one look at the other man and took off after Bobby.

"You're gonna stay with them for awhile, okay?" Luke was explaining everything to Liz.

"What? How can you do this to me? At least before there was one guy, now there's three! Do you honestly think I stand a chance?" Liz knew she couldn't fight off three guys at once and didn't like the idea of staying with them one bit.

"We're not gonna hurt you." Jack said softly, shocked at her fear.

"Yeah, okay." Elizabeth laughed sarcastically. She was going to try and get out of this at all costs.

"Just for a bit Liz. Please." Luke begged. "You'll be okay, if you have any problems call me alright." He then whispered, "I know these guys, you'll be fine, trust me, they've been through a lot of the same shit you've been through."

"Fine. Fine." Liz reluctantly agreed, knowing that at least Luke always meant well, unlike Mark, who was now approaching their group.

"Well. Well. Look who got a lucky break." Mark laughed looking at Liz. "No worries, you'll be back in a week."

Liz hated him, always putting her down. "I'll be back in less than a week!" Liz said as a challenge. There was no use in betting she could make it longer, because she never did.

Mark just laughed. "Too bad the old hag died on ya. You might have actually found a home. Maybe your just bad luck kid. Your brother did good to get away from you. See you soon." He added walking away.

"Don't listen to him Liz, he's just tired today." Luke tried to calm her down before walking away to follow his partner.

It was too late though. No one called her mother that and got away with it.

"Let it go Liz." Jerry began, but it was too late, Liz grabbed a rock and chucked it as hard as she could, hitting Mark square in the head. Before he could do anything, she had already turned around and began heading to the parking lot, wondering how she could ever escape these guys.


	4. Hostility

_I hope you all are enjoying the story. I've got two more chapters written, but after that updates might slow down-SO MUCH HOMEWORK! I'll try, but I make no promises. lol. Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers and I appreciate any and all comments:)_

"It's broken." The man in the drivers seat said, as Liz desperately tried to change the channel on the radio. "I said it's broken!" Bobby growled, making Liz reluctantly return to her seat.

"I hate this song." She stated for anyone to hear. She drummed her fingers on her knees, her feet perched up on the dashboard. She had been sentenced to Bobby's car.

"So…" Bobby began.

He had decided to make an effort. If at not for the annoying kid sitting beside him, than for his mom who had wanted to at least try.

"What do you like to do?" Okay it was lame, but he had nothing.

"Stuff." Was the reply.

"Wow, sounds interesting, tell me more." Bobby said sarcastically.

Liz just gave him an annoyed glance and stared out the window.

"So….mom was nice huh?" Bobby tried again.

"Don't act like you fucking know me or are even interested in me, because you don't and you aren't." Liz had had enough. She'd played this game before and it always ended in her having hope and being let down.

"Nice to meet you too sweetheart." Bobby said under his breath.

Liz could barely stand it in the car any longer, thank God they were almost there.

"So Elizabeth…" Bobby began again.

"Don't call me that. Only Evelyn and my brother did. It's Liz…or as a lot of foster parents like to call me, the little bitch." Liz's facial expression never changed.

"What about Beth? You like Beth?" Bobby asked.

"No."

"You like anything?" Bobby tried one more time, tired.

"Definitely not you."

"Okay, be that way." Bobby yelled angrily.

"I will."

There was silence for awhile and just the annoying song on the radio. Liz couldn't take it anymore and began to kick the radio buttons.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?" Bobby yelled.

Just then the song changed.

"See, I fixed it." Liz smirked triumphantly.

Bobby looked at the radio, the buttons worse off then before…and it took all his power not to ram Liz's side of the car into a passing telephone pole…

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Two cops, Fowler (white) and Green (green-jokes he's black), sat in their car at the reception for the funeral, watching the people arrive at Jerry's house. Green saw Bobby's car pass by and smiled in shock.

"Haven't seen that face for awhile." Green laughed, reminiscing about their childhood years together. "Must've just gotten outta jail."

"For good behaviour?" Fowler asked.

"Not likely." His partner responded. "He's bad news. Causes lots of trouble, especially in hockey."

"Who's that?" Fowler asked, referring to Jack, who was trying to conceal his tears in the street.

"Jack, youngest, also trouble, and a rockstar." He added laughing. "The one talking to all those woman is Jerry. He turned out alright. Little younger than Bobby, and has a family, two kid girls…and a dog."

Green looked around. "Looks like the second youngest didn't show up. Angel, ex-hustler, joined the army."

"Not to mention our favourite Mercer of all." Fowler said sarcastically, referring to Liz who was reluctantly following Bobby towards Jack on the street. "The punk of detroit."

"Go easy on her, her mother just died." Green warned. He had to admit. They had trouble with her from spray-painting, to fights, to fires, but she was a Mercer, and Green was used to them.

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Liz stood uncomfortably watching Bobby comfort Jack. She could hear him tell Jack he loved him and right now longed for her brother to be there too. As they came back, Liz tried to give Jack a comforting smile, she was used to being the oldest and in charge, and immediately felt protective over Jack, even if he was older than her.

She wasn't paying attention to the greeting or reminiscing occurring between the brothers and was staring at her shoe when she suddenly looked up to find all eyes on her.

"I'll assume you asked me a question." Liz said, the eyes still on her. "Three?" She tried.

Jerimiah sighed, "nice try, but no. Do you want to go inside, the girls are excited to see you."

"Ya, sure." Liz agreed, she did like Jerry's daughters.

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"Liz! Liz!" Jerry's daughters yelled excitedly. Liz laughed and knelt down to their level, Bobby and Jack close behind.

Liz laughed to herself as Bobby introduced the girls to their uncle Jack, calling him Cracker Jack. She had nicknames for her brother too. Then, the cops came. "Oh joy" she thought, standing up with Jack and Bobby.

Liz, not paying attention again, found herself in a situation once again where everyone was watching her. She looked up to meet Fowler's gaze.

"Keepin' that gang of your out of trouble?" He asked.

"Number one, they're not a gang, number two, you should know you arrested them the other day." Liz replied, already bored of the conversation.

"They gotta stop spray painting those walls, it's illegal."

"Maybe if they weren't so ugly…" Liz began but caught Green's look.

"I'll get you one day Mercer and put you away for a long time." Fowler threatened.

"Whatever." Liz replied, turning to Jerry's girls who wanted to play with her. As she turned to leave she added, "By the way, my friends won't be charged."

"And why not?" asked Fowler with an evil glare.

"Cause you've got no proof…can't find the spray cans used to paint the walls." And with that Liz walked away.

"Leave it Fowler!" Green said, grabbing his partner.

"How could she know that unless she has the spray cans?" Fowler began.

"That doesn't matter right now." Green finished, turning back to Jack and Bobby to finish their conversation.

Liz didn't hear much more, but got the idea that Bobby intended to find the killers who murdered their mother. For a minute she wondered if she should tell him…no. Not right now. She didn't know him well enough yet.


	5. Coming Home

_Hey everyone! Thanks so much for the reviews, I love them:) Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying this. The story is still pretty dark and cold, but no worries, I plan on it getting warmer soon. lol. Anyway, I'll let you readnow, enjoy:_

Liz stepped out of Jerry's car, relieved she had went with him instead of Bobby. The brother walked up the stairs, throwing insults at one another, implying Jack was gay and what not. As they approached the door, a voice laughed and said "It's cruel the way you guys left me out here in the cold." Liz jumped back in surprise, but the brothers immediately greeted this dark-skinned man, who Liz soon realized was the youngest brother, Angel. He had missed his flight. He only noticed Liz after greeting all of the brothers.

"And who's this? Bobby Isn't she a little young?" Angel joked.

"Ma adopted her dumbass." Bobby said as Jerry fumbled with the keys.

"Your joking! I didn't know I had a little sister!" Angel laughed.

"You don't." Liz replied coldly, entering the house as Jerry finally unlocked the door.

Just then, a German Shepard came out of nowhere, growling angrily at Bobby, who pulled his gun out, ready to shoot.

"NO!" Liz screamed and jumped in front of her dog. "Are you crazy?" she yelled at the older man.

"That dog tried to kill me!" Bobby began.

"He just doesn't like strangers…come to think of it, neither do I!" Liz shot angrily.

She caught Jerry's look and stopped and everyone became silent in the house, realizing that their mother was gone finally sinking in. Bobby began telling everyone where to sleep, him taking Evelyn's room since Liz had taken over his old one. As he walked past her, Liz ruffled the dogs fur, "Good dog." She said, feeling Bobby's angry glare at the words.

"Liz, get Raphiel to your room please." Jerry said, also hearing her comment.

Liz and the dog ran up to her room. She shut the door, hearing Angel playing music from his room, Jack's room seemed to have a guitar sound coming from it, and she knew she heard Bobby crying in the bathroom. All alone, she fell onto the bed, grabbed her dog and cried. She had lost everything.

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Liz was walking by Jack's room and heard Bobby making fun of Jack's guitar playing.

"Well I like it." Liz said as she continued her steady pace.

"Do you have to disagree with everything I say?" Bobby sighed angrily.

"Yes." Liz answered like it was simple. Throwing the bag she was carrying over the railing. It made a loud bang as it hit the bottom.

"What was that?" asked jerry.

"Spray cans." Liz replied as if it was obvious, Jack and Bobby laughing, remembering how fowler thought she had them.

"And what are you doing with those?" Jerry questioned.

"I'm dumping them tomorrow, right before the truck goes by the dumpster, that way Fowler won't find them in our garbage or the dumpster."

"Why would Fowler check our garbage?" Jerry asked.

"He's Fowler, he lives to catch me in the wrong." Liz sighed

Just then, Angel emerged from his room and said he needed some air. All the brothers laughed, knowing full and well he was going to see his old girlfriend Sofi, or as Bobby called her, "La Vida Loca". Liz could've cared less and went to her room to fall asleep for the night, but not before she heard Angel return with Sofi hot on his heels.

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Liz creapt slowly down the stairs, making sure the floorboards didn't creak. As she made it to the bottom, someone grabbed her from behind. She jumped in surprise.

"And where are you going?" Bobby asked.

"No where."Liz replied, still in shock.

"Oh really? Then why are you creeping around?" He interrogated.

"To not wake anyone up." She said.

"whatever."

"Yes Bobby, I'm sneaking out of the house in pajamas, with no money or clothes. Brilliant isn't it?" She said sarcastically. "I'll see you in the kitchen."

She made her way to the fridge and grabbed some ice cream. As she ate, she was aware of Bobby's stare.

"Ma always gave us icecream when we couldn't sleep." He said.

Liz just looked down into the bowl. No matter how much ice cream she ate, it wouldn't fill the void in her heart. Bobby went to turn on the tv, and never said another word for the rest of the night.

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The next morning, Liz awoke to Bobby, Angel and Sofi screaming. She yawned, knowing a fight was at hand, and kind of nervous about whether or not she should even try to leave her room. She usually stayed out of arguments to avoid having anger let out onto her. She decided to brave the stairs and found Sofi yelling at Bobby on them.

"Who are you?" Sofi asked, stopping dead in her yelling at the sight of another girl.

Liz smiled and knew she could start trouble. "Angel's girlfriend." She replied, before heading back up the stairs and listening to Angel's desperate attempts to explain, and Bobby's laughter.

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"Liz, someone's at the door and they say they know you!" Bobby's voice yelled from the doorway. Liz flew down the stairs to see bobby pointing a gun right in her friend Andrea's face.

"What are you doing?" Liz asked in shock, seeing the scared look on her friend's face.

"So you know her?" Bobby asked.

"Yes! Yes!" Liz replied pulling the gun away from Andrea.

"You ready?" Andrea asked a bit shaken.

"Yeah, just let me grab my sweater." She answered, taking the stairs two at a time.

Once again another voice was yelling up the stairs, "Another one of your stoned friends is here." Bobby called.

Liz sighed and ran back down the stairs.

"Riley! When did you get out of jail?" Liz asked in shock.

"Why do I not like the sound of that?" Jerry asked coming around the corner.

"Gotta go!" Liz yelled, pushing her friends out the door.

"Where are you going?" Jerry asked grabbing her collar, causing her to flinch a bit.

"the cans. Remember?" Liz said quickly.

"Rice, who are these guys?" Riley asked Liz.

"Nobody, now let's go." Liz pushed Riley all the way out the door.

"You jacket!" Jerry called.

Liz ran back in and grabbed her black and grey coat.

"Rice?" Bobby questioned.

"I'm white." Liz replied annoyed.

"So what?" Bobby asked.

"It's better than white trash." And with that, Liz left the house.

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Liz came back forty five minutes later and went straight for the kitchen sink. She spit out a bunch of blood, causing her brothers to surround her. They stared at her cut lip and banged up eye.

"That's gonna hurt tomorrow." Jack said.

"It hurts now genius." Liz replied angrily, but then quickly gave him an apologetic smile, knowing this wasn't his fault.

"what happened?" Bobby asked.

"Nothing." Liz responded, trying to get away.

"Then what's that you spat into the sink?" He challenged.

"Fairy Dust." Liz said still annoyed.

"Oh good, Jack's a fairy, come over here Jack and tell me what this looks like."

"Liz, he followed us home." Andrea called from the front porch.

Liz ran to the door, followed by her brothers. A kid, who also looked banged up was yelling angrily.

"get your ass out here Mercer so we can finish this!" He yelled.

"John, you are so lucky I didn't finish the fight, now get lost." Liz replied.

Bobby pushed out the door and walked up to this 'John' character.

"You hit her?" he asked.

"Ya, I would've beat that bitch too if she hadn't stopped the fight…" but John was never able to finish his sentence because Bobby had punched him to the ground.

"You stay away from beating up girls. It's a sad day when a man has to live his life picking on woman cause he can't win a real fight." Bobby growled at him.

Bobby returned to the house, Liz hot on his heels, telling her friends a Happy Thanksgiving and a "see you later".

"What was that!" She yelled angrily at Bobby. "do you have any idea what you did? Now he'll want kick my ass more than ever! I have enough to worry about!"

"I was defending you!" Bobby said in surprise and anger.

"I've had some insane foster siblings, but you by far are the craziest!" she yelled as jerry pulled her out of the house to but the thanksgiving turkey.


	6. Thanksgiving

_Hi again! All your reviews make me so happy:) I wish I could update more and I feel horrible about how slow this might get during the next couple of weeks (I'm soooooooo busy), but I'll do my best, even if they're short chapters. Anyway, here's the next one, hope you enjoy:_

"Hang on a second." Jerry said, stopping Liz from pulling the last grocery bag out of the trunk. She had calmed slightly due to their turkey buying trip, but still seemed slightly angry with Bobby. She looked up and saw Jerry's pleading eyes.

"Just try. Please just try to understand. Bobby's a tough guy to deal with, and you've actually caught him on a good day. He's attempting to be civil, can't you?"

"Why should I? No one ever tries to understand me! And if that's civil, I'd hate to see him angry." Liz didn't want to have to accept anyone else when she never was.

"It's thanksgiving dinner…" jerry began.

"Fine. Fine! I won't ruin your precious family reunion." Liz said sarcastically, grabbing the potatoes and heading inside.

Liz walked into the kitchen and began unpacking the groceries, just as Bobby walked in.

"Ooh! Food!" Bobby said excitedly digging through the bags. He grabbed a chocolate cupcake and began to dig in.

"That _was_ your desert." Liz informed him.

"No worries." He stared at the food in his hand and then said, "cupcake."

It took Liz a minute to realize that he was referring to her when he said cupcake.

"What did you just call me?" She asked a bit surprised.

"welcome to the family, you've been dubbed with a nickname." Jack said sarcastically, preparing the groceries so he could make dinner.

Before Liz could protest, Jerry came in and told her to grab the last bag from the car. She left in a daze unsure of what had really just happened.

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Liz was sitting on the floor with Rafiel watching the hockey game with three of the four brothers. Jack was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Angel began flipping disks at his brothers, who protested in anger. He thought for a second and began chucking them at Liz too, who was unsure what to think. Eventually she was annoyed and picked up the chips around her and dropped them on Angel's head on her way to the kitchen.

"So what can I do?" Liz asked.

Jack looked up surprised. "Um…well I'm good with the food for now, but those dishes need to be put away."

Liz quickly jumped at the chance to be busy. It took her mind off of her loss of Evelyn and her brother. She also liked being around Jack. He was the quietest and she never felt pressured to say anything around him. She was pretty good at reading people, and though all the brothers seemed to be pretty rough and tough, she knew Jack was the softest and took comfort in that. She felt safe in the kitchen. No annoying Bobby, no lecturing Jerry, no joking Angel-just silence and comfort.

Liz reached up to try and put a glass in the highest cupboard, but her 'vertically challenged" (as she liked to call it) body couldn't reach. All of a sudden Jack grabbed the cup out of her hand and easily placed it on the top shelf. Liz let a small smile escape as a thanks.

"I can finish if you want." Jack said.

"That's okay." Liz replied, jumping up on the counter. "Us short people have to survive somehow." With her new found height up on the counter top she easily put the remaining things away.

As Jack and Liz started to bring out the plates to set the table, they heard a crashing and a sound of a fight occurring. Liz looked up to see Jerry and Angel wrestling, with Bobby dictating every detail of the fight.

"Midnight and Nitro! Go at it yet again!" Bobby yelled laughing.

Liz froze for a minute, remembering her past and what occurred when fighting started, but the smiles on all the brothers faces and Jack's knowing shake of his head at his brother's childishness caused Liz to stop and smirk too at the display before her. Jerry ended up winning, until Raphiel decided to join the fight and pin down Jerry.

"How'd you get the dog anyway?" Jack asked as he pulled out the turkey to see if it was finished.

"He got hit by a car in front of the house, and mom took him to the vet." Liz responded, realizing that was her first statement to one of the brothers that held no anger or sarcasm in it. "I'm gonna go upstairs for a bit, you alright without me?"

"I should live." Jack said with a smile, looking at his still quarrelling siblings. "I have for this long."

"How, I don't know." Liz joked going up the stairs.

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"Liz! Dinner!" Jerry called.

Liz dropped her sketch book and began heading down the stairs.

"Liz! Dinn…"

"I'm coming damn it! Geez!" Liz yelled back.

She entered the dining room to find Bobby bugging Jack.

"So when are you coming out of the closet?" Bobby asked.

"I'm not gay." Jack began.

"Then why do you have that nice meat tenderizer in your mouth?" Bobby asked, referring to his tongue ring.

Liz saw the look of hurt in Jack's eyes, and he broke down at the teasing and walked into the kitchen.

"Jack! Jack I was kidding! I love the tongue ring! Very masculine!" Bobby tried to get Jack to return. "Come on, I'll let you wear my jacket!"

Liz entered the kitchen to help Jack bring out the food and found him removing the tongue ring from his mouth.

"Well I liked it." She said before grabbing some of the food and heading out into the dining room. She just caught the glimpse of a smile of Jack's face.

They all held hands to pray, Liz used to this after living with Evelyn for three months and than they sat and ate. She wasn't very hungry and spent most of her time playing with her food, moving it around the plate with a fork. She looked up at one point and saw the expressions on everyone's face as they looked at Evelyn. Jack's face seemed scared. Evelyn had said he'd been through some rough times. As Liz looked up she saw her mother sitting in the empty seat.

"Honey, you'll be alright. You've got your brothers here." She seemed to read the expression on Liz's face. "Oh I know, I know. You may not trust them, but give them a chance, for me?" Liz nodded her head a bit. "Oh and by the way, go easy on them?" Evelyn joked.

"So…" began Bobby.

"Not this again." Liz mumbled.

"Do you like school?" Bobby asked, but got no response. "What do you do in your spare time?" Still nothing. "Got any other friends besides the ones from this morning?" Liz just shrugged, distant and cold. "Fine, I give up." Bobby said in defeat.

This triggered something in Liz though, and she backed away from the table angrily.

"Fine! Give up! Just like everyone else!" She yelled before running up to her room.


	7. Growing Closer?

_It's two in the morning, but all your reviews made me want to write. Thank you so much to everyone. So here's the next chapter, I hope you all enjoy because things are definately slowing down. Sorry:)_

"Liz?" A voice whispered softly from the doorway. "Can I come in?"

There was no response so Jerry opened the door, afraid to see the girl missing. Luckily she was still there, but he was confused by the sight of her packing her bags.

At the sight of Jerry's questioning face Liz spoke up.

"When do I leave?"

"What in the world are you talking about?" Jerry asked in surprise. He sighed, "Liz, we're not getting rid of you." He was surprised at the slight look of disappointment in Liz's face.

She was sure she was gone this time. She had been cold, distant, talked back, gotten into a fight, and just made a huge scene at the dinner table. Not as bad as some of her homes, but more than most homes had been able to take. She actually wanted to be gone, off to her next home, away from these people pretending so hard to care. She wanted for April and her eighteenth birthday to come, so she could be done with all this forever.

"We're going to play hockey." Jerry broke through Liz's thoughts.

"What?"

"Now. Hockey." Jerry said heading for the door.

"What if I don't want to?"

"For mom."

"That is so not fair!"

"Don't care, now get your skates and try to behave." Jerry was now going down the stairs, leaving Liz debating about what to do.

Ten minutes later Liz's stuff was in the trunk and Bobby was carrying her over one shoulder to the car.

"I'm not going!" She hollered, pounding her fists into Bobby's back. But it was no good; she was like a gnat bothering a horse. Virtually un-noticed.

As the car pulled away from the driveway, a pouting Liz in the backseat, Bobby looked into the rearview mirror.

"So nice of you to join us." He said with a smirk.

That was it…he was going down.

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"C'mon slowpoke!" Bobby hollered from the ice grabbing Liz's stick to prompt her to move faster.

Liz remained calm, tying her skates slowly, not eager to play this game.

"I half-expected you to have girl-skates. Then you and Jack could've figure-skated together." Bobby teased from the ice as he saw Liz's guy skates.

Liz never understood how anyone could even move in those figure skates. She tightened the wrap on her right elbow, as Bobby teased her some more.

"Awe, elbow pads! How cute!" He laughed and turned around.

Big mistake on his part, for Liz took the opportunity and headed out onto the ice, catching Bobby off guard and checking him to the ground. She skated by Jack who was holding her stick and he tossed it to her, a slight laugh escaping his lips.

"What are you laughing at ya little fairy, she's better than you!" A frustrated Bobby yelled as he got up and pushed his little brother.

"Let's play some hockey!" Someone from the other team yelled and it began.

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Liz wasn't too bad. She wasn't amazing, but she could keep up with the brothers. She laughed as Bobby encouraged Jack to take out any player in his path or how he slap-shot Jerry's cell-phone into the wall.

At one point, a member on the other team got mad when Liz checked a guy from his team into the boards so Jack could score and took off after her, slamming her into the ice.

"Girls can't play hockey, they should stick to ballet." He hollered as he skated away.

Liz shot up from the ice and skated on fire towards him, using her stick she hooked his legs and tripped him, causing him to unexpectedly fall face-first onto the ice, blood pouring from his nose. Before Elizabeth could take any further action, Jack and Angel were carrying her off the ice as she screamed insults at the fallen man.

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"So what do we get?" Jack asked impatiently as the sons and daughter of Evelyn Mercer talked to her lawyer going over her will.

Liz leaned forward to allow Bobby to slap Jack in the back of the head and scold his younger brother.

Than, the five went through the safety deposit box. Bobby handed Jerry, Jack and Liz their birth certificates. Angel and him didn't have any. Jack and Jerry excitedly looked through theirs, but Liz left hers face down on the table.

"Aren't you going to read it?" Angel questioned when he saw the uninterested look in her eyes. "Nah, I never look back, there's nothing there." She replied.

She had been with her birthparents for a long time. Her father until she was nine and her mother until she was ten. She knew all she needed to know about them. They left her and never came back. They said they loved her, that they would return for her and her brother, that they would be in a better place if they went into foster care. All lies as far as she was concerned. All meaningless and nothing to her.

Suddenly, Liz realized everyone around her was standing. She looked up and saw Bobby was handing out money. She knew this was big, but really didn't care, no amount of money would bring Evelyn or her birthparents back. She accepted the twenty Bobby handed her and put on her jacket as Jack received nothing but a necklace.

"That'll look good on you." Bobby laughed as he closed the box and headed out the door.

Liz quickly slipped her twenty into Jack's jacket pocket before he put it on and headed out the door.

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As the three brothers and Liz followed Jerry to a beaten up building, Liz felt an arm come around her shoulders.

"Now would you have any idea how a twenty could magically appear in my pocket?" Jack asked with a knowing smirk.

"Fairies perform magic all the time." Liz replied, returning his smile. He ruffled her hair and they continued to walk.

"And Jack?" Liz said before they entered.

"Yeah?"

"Never do that to my head again."

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Liz stared at the beaten up room around her, listening to Jerry's dream about fixing it up and starting some sort of business. She looked over his drawings and the measurements of the building he had taken to figure out what sizes every room should be.

"You have space unaccounted for." Liz said during one of Jerry's breathing intervals.

"Huh?" Jerry turned to Liz.

"Yeah." Liz repeated herself, explaining how he had measured more than he had used.

"How'd you catch that?" Jerry asked in shock.

"It's basic math Jerry, a monkey could do it…possibly Bobby." Liz replied like it was no big deal. "Your sketches bite as well."

"Oh, so she's a mathematician and an artist!" Bobby shot.

"Just helping." Liz said, shoving the papers into Jerry's hands, and quickly turning away from the site before her.

"Look at your little brother." Bobby said with a laugh.

Everyone but Liz turned to see Jack peeing on Jerry's precious building.

"Is this the master suite? Am I making the property value go down?" Jack asked with a laugh.

"And these are supposed to be my OLDER brothers." Liz sighed, trying not to laugh at Jack's statements.

Then she heard another laugh and turned to see Angel pointing to objects on a shelf.

"They look like nipples!"

"What did I do to deserve this!" Liz asked looking at the sky for answers.

"Probably something really bad." Bobby replied. "Let's get some real drinks." He added, throwing his beer to the ground.

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"You can't get in." Angel was saying at the front of the bar. "Let Bobby take you home."

"Whatever. You don't have to drive me home; I'll find something to do. And for the record I CAN get in." Liz replied annoyed.

"How exactly? You're seven!" Angel laughed.

"SevenTEEN. And I'll bet you twenty bucks I can get in." She was looking straight into Angel's eyes, bold and ready for a challenge.

"Fine, it's your money." Angel laughed, as the four brothers headed into the bar.

A few minutes later the brothers were all sitting there with drinks in their hands. Jack stopped suddenly in shock, causing Angel to look up into Liz's smirking face.

"That'll be twenty bucks…_brother_." She said sarcastically, before heading over to a bunch of guys who appeared to know who she was.

Jack just laughed as Angel was still wearing the shocked face.

"You're keeping a close eye on her." Jerry laughed to Bobby as he saw his older brother watching the corner Liz was hanging out in.

"Ya okay, whatever Jer. She's made it clear she wants nothing to do with us." Bobby sighed and raised his glass. "To Evelyn Mercer, the best mother four degenerates ever had!"

But before he could drink, Jack chimed in.

"Six."

"What?" Bobby asked.

"The best mom six degenerates ever had." He repeated, looking over at Liz, who ducked her head, unable to meet her brothers' stare.


	8. A Lead

_Okay, I'm not sure how much I like this chapter, but I had to put one up before my exam week started. There won't be any for awhile, so I hope you guys like it:) Anyway, thanks to all my reviewers and keep up the comments, I love them all!_

Elizabeth looked over at where her brothers were sitting to see them talking to the bar owner. They looked like they were talking about something serious, as he sat down as Jerry got up to leave, motioning for her to come over.

"What's up?" Liz asked in general as she approached the group.

"We're leaving." Jerry said quickly, "Put your coat on."

"I'm not going anywhere." Liz said, taking a step back, just as Bobby cut in.

"Ever think she wants to know what happened to mom?"

Liz's head immediately snapped up at the mention of Evelyn and she took a seat at the table with a look at Jerry that told him she was staying.

"Whatever…but don't call me up when ya'll get shot."

As he left, Liz looked up at Jack, who appeared to be slightly drunk. As he reached for another shot, Liz quickly grabbed it from him and drank it. At the look of shock on his face she laughed.

"You've had enough for one night. You drink like a fish."

"Fish don't drink." Bobby said quickly, "who's smart now!"

Liz rolled her eyes as Bobby looked over at her friends from earlier.

"So," Bobby said, looking at the bar owner, "you serve alcohol to underage kids now eh?"

"Who said my friends were underage?" Liz replied with a slight smirk, not looking at Bobby, but able to feel his shock at that statement. Jack was also looking at Liz with wide eyes.

"About our mother?" Angel returned to the subject.

"Right, right." The bartender began.

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Liz was standing behind Bobby's car as her brothers searched through the trunk for some guns. They were standing outside the hang-out of a gang that the bar owner said he'd heard were witnesses to her mother's death.

"Gotta burner?" Bobby asked Angel.

"Man, I flew in." Angel replied.

"Awe man! Be careful with my baby." Bobby said as he handed Angel a gun and Liz rolled her eyes. "It's loaded little brother be careful." He added.

"Here Jack hold the gas can." Bobby said throwing it to his younger sibling.

"We gonna do the gas thing?" Jack questioned.

"Yeah, we're gonna do the gas thing." Bobby replied mocking him in a woman/baby voice.

Liz watched as Jack lit up a cigarette. If it's one thing she couldn't stand it was smoking. Jack saw her disgusted look and jokingly blew smoke in her face.

"Smoking kills." Liz said annoyed.

"I'm counting on it." Bobby said, looking directly at Liz.

Liz was about to make another comment to save herself, but Jack cut in as Bobby was closing the trunk.

"What do I get?"

"Oh you coming with us? Here ya go sweetheart poke 'em with this." Bobby replied handing Jack a crowbar.

"Gee thanks." Jack replied unhappily.

"Your welcome." Bobby laughed.

Than he turned to Liz.

"Wait here by the car." He said as they began to walk towards the building.

"I don't think so!" Liz began.

"I don't care what you think…WAIT!" Bobby replied without looking back.

Hearing her following footsteps, Bobby turned around, about to again tell her to stay behind; when he saw the gun she had pulled out of no where.

"I'm going." She said. Her mind made up. She wasn't one to take orders.

"Fine, but stay behind your big sister." Bobby said giving up.

As Jack laughed, Liz smirked.

"Well Jaclyn, guess I'm with you."

Jack shook his head and Bobby laughed.

"I love it!"

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"Everybody arms in the air! Detroit police, put your fucking hands up!" Bobby shouted pointing his gun at kids running through the halls.

Liz laughed at the expressions on the kids' faces when they realized these guys weren't the cops.

"Get your asses home." Bobby said, trying not to laugh as well.

"The po-po's are here! These white cops are crazy!" Bobby yelled as Jack and Liz laughed uncontrollably.

"I want urine samples from all of ya!" Angel shouted alongside his older brother.

When they reached what appeared to be the main room, Bobby took the gas can from Jack and began pouring it on a guy seated in a chair, while Angel forced everyone to sit down.

One girl was still standing and Angel immediately told her to sit.

"But it's warm over here." She began.

"He told you to sit." Liz said angrily.

"I don't have to listen to no white trash." She replied.

"And I don't have to listen to a bitch, so sit down…" Liz aimed her gun, "or fall down, your choice."

The girl obeyed, but cringed as Angel poured gasoline on her jeans.

Everyone watched as Bobby interrogated the boy.

"No one here was a witness! No one plays basketball at that time cause the lights go out at ten, so they couldn't have seen the shooting!" The boy explained.

Bobby looked at his watch and turned back to the kid.

"Let's go." Bobby said, grabbing the kid and heading for the exit.

"What, where are we going?" He asked in a panic.

"Playin' some basketball." Bobby replied.

"Ya'll need to stay in school." Angel said following Bobby.

"Thank you very much. I hope you all have a lovely evening." Jack added, as Liz just rolled her eyes, afraid of what was going to happen to the kid.

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"10:02…and they're still on." Bobby said to the kid. "That's it, let's pop him and go home."

As Bobby and Angel began dragging the kid away to Jack's protests, Liz cut in.

"Bobby, they turn off at ten, they really do." Liz hung out here sometimes knew it for sure.

But Bobby wasn't listening, so Liz turned around willing the lights to turn off, unsure of what would happen to the kid.

Just as Jack seemed to be getting frantic to, the lights shut off. Bobby sighed, as the kid began to get cocky.

"See, I told you all they'd be off, and you were all like thinking you were smart and shit. Man get off of me." He said pushing Angel, who punched him across the face.

"He talks too much." He said innocently to his brothers and Liz.

"Let's go home." Bobby sighed.

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At home, Liz listened to Bobby explaining to Jack from the stairs that contract killers paid off witnesses to lead cops astray. Liz wondered what would have happened to the kid if the lights hadn't gone off. How could she feel safe with these people one minute and then fearful of her life the next. She was confused…tomorrow she'd just wake up early and go for a walk. That'd clear her mind.


	9. A Secret Revealed

_Okay, you guys are so lucky! I have an exam tomorrow but managed to write a short chapter. I like it so I hope you will too:) Also, thanks to everyone to reviewed, I absolutely love them all!_

Liz had barely shut the door behind her the next morning before Bobby jumped on her.

"And where have you been?" Bobby demanded.

Rafiel who had went with Liz growled angrily.

"Does it really matter?" Liz said, just digging for more anger.

"Get in there!" Bobby yelled, pointing to the television room.

Liz walked uncertainly into the room to meet Angel and Jack. Angel with almost as angry a look as Bobby, but Jack's face was more concerned.

"I wasn't even gone that long!" Liz said in shock.

"Forget that, I have another question for you." Bobby whipped out a small pocket knife and immediately Liz went numb…knowing where this was going.

"This yours?" He questioned.

"Maybe, why does it matter." She was going to see if she could get out of this one.

"We found it in your room! Why does it have blood on it!" Bobby was insane.

"How'd you find it? You were in my room!" Liz was more angry now than anything.

"Cracker Jack over there found it." Bobby replied.

"Jack?" Liz turned accusingly. In shock at the one she had trusted the most. This is what always happened, broken trust.

"That's not important!" Bobby cut in. "Where's the blood from! Getting some justice of your own without us? What do you know?"

"I know nothing and I didn't hurt anyone!" Liz was really hitting her breaking point, where she ended up not caring what she said.

"Oh, so it's your blood then?" Bobby said sarcastically.

"Yes." Liz began starting to leave the room, tears brimming on her eyes.

Bobby grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Now that's just stupid! Why in the world would you cut yourself? I want the truth!" Bobby's eyes were on fire, but when he met the tears on Liz's face he realized how harsh he'd been and let go.

Liz pulled her arm away and lifted back her sleeve, revealing scars and fresh cuts all up and down her arm.

"Yes! I'm stupid and I cut myself! I'm a cutter! Are you all happy? Can you sleep at night now!" Liz's voice grew louder with each sentence until she was running up the stairs, Rafiel following close behind.

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"Can I come in?" Liz recognized Jack's voice at the door.

"Like you care what I say, you didn't ask before." Liz was lying on her bed, rubbing Rafiel's ears.

Jack came in the room and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Do you want to know why I came into your room?" Jack began.

"No, but I have a feeling I'm going to find out."

"The picture." Jack said pointing to her night stand. "I saw it and recognized it."

Liz looked up at the picture of the four brothers with their mother, a picture Evelyn had given her to make her feel a part of that family.

"I know it's your…you can have it if you want." Liz replied, concentrating on the dog's ear massage.

"No, it's fine." Jack said. "So…why?"

Liz looked up.

"Why do you…" He looked at the pocket knife in his hands that he had brought with him.

"It takes the pain away." Liz replied, surprising herself with the answer.

"No it doesn't, it just adds more." Jack quickly responded.

"Thank you Dr. Phil." Liz said, with a small twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

"I'm serious."

"I stopped when I came here…Evelyn caught me." Liz smiled remembering that day.

It had been so weird. Evelyn had walked in on her and almost had a heart attack. Liz thought she was gone for sure after what had happened when the last house figured out she was a cutter. No one wanted to deal with it. But Evelyn had just confiscatedher knife and hugged her. Evelyn had hugged her telling her everything would be fine and she didn't need to cut herself. That she was going to help her. The greatest thing of all occurred when Evelyn had gave her back the knife…saying that she trusted Liz. And while Evelyn was alive, she had never cut again…for her mother. But after her mother was killed, the pain came back, and it was the only way she knew how to deal with it.

"You just started again." Jack stated, seeing the contrast of a few new cuts with her old scars.

"After mom…" But Liz trailed off, unable to finish.

"Well, you're not going to cut again." Jack said simply.

"Why?" Liz questioned.

"Because I won't let you." He replied with a laugh, like it was obvious. "And I think Bobby won't let you either."

Liz laughed at the thought of Bobby…and how concerned he looked when he realized that she was hurting. The brothers reminded her so much of Evelyn sometimes. The way they cared about her.

Liz could feel the emotions building up in her room.

"Thanks." She said to Jack…and she really meant it.

Before he could reply, she added,

"Enough of this Kodac moment stuff, I'm outta here." And she jumped off her bed stopping in her doorway. "Coming or what?"

Jack laughed, following Liz down the stairs.


	10. Scars

_Okay, it's like 2 in the morning, but I had to write another chapter. Thank you so much for all the reviews, I'm loving them. I hope you all enjoy this chapter:_

"LIZ! We are leaving! With or without you." Bobby yelled from the bottom of the stairs.

Liz rushed around frantically trying to locate her favourite hoody in her tank top and jeans. They were meeting Jerry at the convenience store their mother was murdered at to ask the manager some questions.

"I'm shutting the front door…" Bobby threatened.

_The couch!_ Liz remembered suddenly and flew down the stairs, seeing the brothers grinning in the hallway at her tardiness. She raced over to the couch and pulled out her hoody from underneath the cushions…occasionally she took it off while watching t.v. and lost it in the sofa which devoured any object placed on it…five remotes so far to be exact. Liz turned in triumph to the doorway, but was caught off guard by the looks she was receiving. She looked down at her scarred arms from her cutting, but knew that couldn't be it because they had already seen that earlier this morning.

"What happened!" Angel asked, with a small smack from Bobby.

Liz froze realizing what they meant. She was so used to Evelyn knowing what happened in her past that she never thought twice about wearing a tank top that revealed all her scars, but Jack, Bobby, and Angel had no idea what she had been through.

"Are those…cigarette burns?" Jack asked carefully.

Liz kind of stood there a moment unsure of what to say.

"And what are these?" Now Angel was right beside her.

"Yeah, they're cigarette burns." She answered Jack's question, "and maybe those are the belt scars, I don't remember." Liz tried to get the words out as fast as she could.

Bobby could see the marks Angel had been referring to. If it was a belt, then it had been one of the ones with spikes because there were deep indents around her back and neck.

Extremely uncomfortable with the situation, Liz quickly changed the subject.

"Now we're really late! We better get going! Rafiel, come here boy." Liz pulled on her sweatshirt and called her dog.

"The dog's not coming." Bobby said quickly.

"Yes he is. He hates being alone. I mean, look what he did to your shirt when we were gone last night." Liz held up a white torn up shirt.

Bobby glared angrily at the dog. "He's still not coming." Bobby said through clenched teeth, trying not to snap.

"Fine, have fun walking to the store then." Liz said with a smirk.

"What do you mean walki---." Bobby stopped mid-sentence. "Where are my keys?"

Liz raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "No idea what your talking about!"

"Give me my keys! Now!"

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A half hour later they were at the store…and so was Rafiel. Liz had won that fight. She was used to being the oldest, the one in charge, and she wasn't taking orders from Bobby.

As they waited for Jerry, Jack looked nervously at Liz.

"What?" Liz asked as Jerry's van pulled up.

"What did you do?" He asked.

Liz was confused and then was hit with what he meant.

"To get the burns and stuff. I dunno, probably something bad, but I can't remember. Use your imagination." Liz honestly couldn't remember. She had gotten in trouble so many times she couldn't remember what scars went with what incident.

Bobby laughed, "Sometimes I think you're crazy." He was always shocked at how she handled situations, and she seemed to be handling her scars pretty well.

"I'm not crazy, I'm just acting out, withdrawn from human contact, and destructive to my surroundings." Liz said like she had repeated it a million times.

To the confused look her brothers gave her she added, "That's what my psychiatrist said anyway."

"You have a psychiatrist?" Jerry asked approaching the group.

"HAD a psychiatrist." Liz corrected.

"Dare I ask what happened." Jerry ventured.

"Let's just say that after my session…she needed metal help." Liz laughed as she said it.

She caught Bobby's still questioning look.

"The 'destructive to surroundings' part was added after my 'incident' at the psychiatrists." Liz loved keeping them guessing.

Before anyone could question her anymore about the psychiatrist, they saw a man walking towards the store.

"Excuse me!" Jack said as they walked towards him.

The man appeared scared for a minute, like he thought they were going to jump him or something.

"Evelyn Mercer was our mother." Jack continued.

"Oh yes, I remember her. I liked her very much. Please come in." The man replied.

"Wait out here." Bobby said to Liz.

"But…"

"THIS time is non-negotiable." Bobby did not want Liz seeing the surveillance tape…which he was going to demand to see.

Liz was about to protest more, but caught Jack's look, like she was pressing her luck with Bobby, so she agreed…but only because she knew…

Liz watched through the glass door as her brothers watched the surveillance tape. She watched as Jack had to look away, unable to bear seeing their mother get shot, tears falling from the corners of his eyes. She felt a pang of guilt well up in her for the pain these guys were going through right now.

Her brothers talked to the manager a bit longer, then left the store at a fast walk, Liz running just to keep up with their long-legged strides.

"They set mom up! They set her up!" Was all Liz heard Bobby say before the brothers all took off running for the school across the street.

"Rafiel, stay by the car." Liz yelled back.

The dog would've only understood stay, but Liz always talked to him like he was a person.

"Wait up!" Liz called, crossing over the snow-covered grass to close the growing gap between her and the brothers. "Curse these short legs!" She mumbled to herself, but she was used to running, mainly from cops, and quickly caught up once they were in the school.

She and the guys entered the gymnasium to the screaming of the fans of the basketball game.

"What's the plan Bobby?" Jerry asked.

"We're winging it Jerry." Bobby replied.

"We always wing it!" Jerry complained.

"We're gonna get killed." Jack put in.

"What do you mean we white boy?" Angel shot.

Liz laughed, but then stood in shock as Bobby made his way to the middle of the court and pulled out a gun. Jerry close behind. Liz also noticed Angel had went missing, but her concentration was pulled to the guy on her left she realized was pulling out a gun to aim at Bobby. She reached into the back of her pants, pulling out her own gun by the time the guy had his out.

"Not a good idea." Liz said with the gun to the guy's head.

"I'll shoot him." He threatened.

"No you won't, cuz then your dead…but if you drop the gun, everyone lives." Liz reasoned.

The boy reluctantly dropped the gun and Liz quickly picked it up. Bobby gave her a nod and began his interrogation of the room. Apparently, Bobby had gotten a description of the witness from the guy at the convenience store and was interrogating the room to find the guy. Liz and Jack noticed a guy leaving from the stands on the other side of the room and Jack quickly left to chase him. Liz stayed to watch the rest of the crowd, and the guy who originally pulled out the gun. But she could faintly hear Jack yelling "No running in the halls!" as he began a chase to catch the guy who was leaving. "What a dork." Liz thought, but he reminded her so much of her own brother, that she had to smile.

Jack returned, with the signal that he had the guy who had tried to escape. As Bobby, Jerry, and Jack were leaving (Angel was watching the guy soon to be interrogated), the boy who had pulled the gun decided to get cocky.

"You never would've shot me bitch."

"Oh ya?" Liz asked, aiming her gun, "You sure about that."

"Yeah! And I want my gun back!" As the guy began to move towards Liz, a loud bang rang out around the gym.

The boy fell backwards in pain.

"She shot me! Oh my God! Call me an ambulance!" He screamed.

Liz laughed shaking her head. "It's a paintball gun genius." She then pointed to the paint on his shirt and continued to laugh. "But I have your real one, so I'd like to see you try that again."

As the Mercer's left the gym and entered the hallway, Bobby stared at Liz. "So you never had a gun all this time? I let you come last night for nothing?"

"Ma wouldn't let me carry a real one. It's not like I ever have to use one much anyway. And if the police ever catch me with it, it's not really a firearm, so I don't need a license for it and I won't get in trouble. It looks real enough to scare everyone." Liz explained.

"Then give me the real one." Bobby said.

"Why, you're not mom. Give me one good reason." Liz challenged.

Bobby raised his own gun in a semi-threatening way.

Even though Liz knew Bobby would never shoot her, she decided to let him win this one.

"You raise a good argument." She said, handing him the gun.

Jack laughed shaking his head, as they four met Angel. Liz stopped and stood in shock as she recognized the boy…Keenon!

_What does Liz know and why does she feel guilty? This and maybe a bit more about her past soon to be revealed in future chapters (maybe even the next one depending on how long I'm going to make it.)_


	11. The Truth

_Sorry this one took awhile, but the good news is exams are done! Hooray! But that means my second semester is starting, and it's tough, but I'll try my best to keep updating:) Anyway, thanks to my reviewers yet again, they all make me so happy. I also want to thank everyone who reads my story, I write for you guys! Now I hope you enjoy:_

Liz didn't let on that she knew the boy standing in front of her. She was still unsure of what they would do if they believed she was an accomplice to someone in on the murder of their mother. The boy's expression let on that he knew her, but he quickly hid it as he saw her conceal this fact from the men before him.

As the brothers interrogated Keenon about what he was running off to do, they were able to get the name of the so called witness-Damian.

"He's my brother." Keenon almost pleaded.

"Really? These are my brothers!" Bobby said eagerly.

Keenon looked around confused.

"No dog…he's my REAL brother."

"Yeah, these are my real brothers. I'm Bobby; this is Angel, Jack and Jeremiah." Bobby repeated, saying each of the brother's names for emphasis.

Keenon still didn't believe him and sarcastically remarked pointing towards Liz, "Oh yeah, and I bet she's your sister."

"Damn Straight." Bobby replied like it was obvious, but this even socked Liz.

"We won't hurt you brother, we just want to talk to him." Bobby assured Keenon, as Jack and Jerry found his report card in his backpack and quickly identified the address on it.

They all left, but Liz hung back for a moment, grabbing a slip of paper from Keenon and giving him a reassuring nod with her head.

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All the brothers were waiting outside for Liz.

"What took you so long sweetheart?" Angel questioned.

"Bigger question." Bobby began as they headed towards the car, "Why aren't you questioning any of this? Not wondering why we believe mom was set up or anything?"

All the brothers turned to Liz, also confused. She hadn't seen the surveillance tape they had watched and seen how there mother was shot.

"They already had the money before they shot her. It's obvious it was planned." Liz regretted those words as soon as they left her lips.

"How do you know that?" Bobby began to grow angry. "Are you not telling us something?"

"Did you watch the tape?" Jack asked.

"Stop it with the stupid tape already." Liz snapped, but immediately felt bad for being angry at poor Jack and gave him an apologetic smile.

"I didn't need to see the tape." Liz began, "I was there."

"What do you mean you were there?" Jerry questioned.

"I saw everything." Liz stated.

She looked up at her brothers and knew she had to start from the beginning.

"It was the first and only time I ever waited in that van when we went to the store. I was lazy and didn't feel like going in to watch mom deal with another troubled boy, so I turned on the music and leaned the seat back to try and sleep a bit. All of a sudden, over the music, I heard a shot." Liz's eyes began to tear up, but she stared at the cement under her feat and continued.

"I got out of the van and ran up to the window. They had shot the clerk and stuffing the remaining money in a bag. Mom was ducking behind a shelf; I could see her from where I was at the window. They began to search for her. She was so scared." The last line was almost a whisper.

"When they found her, they shot her without a second thought. Twice just to be sure she was dead." The tears behind Liz's eyes began to fall, but the look in them was one of anger, rage, and disappointment.

"The whole time I just stood there and watched. Stood there and did nothing. Stood there and let her die. And you want to know what the best part is? As they began to make their way towards the door of the store, I ran and hid in the van!" Liz turned towards a nearby garbage can and kicked it with all her might. "I just ran and hid in the stupid van like a coward!" She was yelling now.

Jerry tried to approach her but she backed away, not wanting any sympathy.

"What'd you do after?" Angel asked quietly.

"Went into the store…knew she was dead…went home and waited for the cops to show up." Liz was now withdrawn into her own thoughts, almost like she was no longer connected to the real world. Her eyes glazed over and un-responsive. This was how she normally got when she was in an abusive situation that was too much to deal with or when she didn't want to deal with memories.

"You couldn't have done anything." Jack tried, but Liz was too far away in her own world to hear.

"Why didn't you call the cops?" Bobby said almost angrily. The brothers turned to him shocked at how hard he was being. But Bobby wasn't understanding all this. That she was pretending to help them yet she knew this information and kept it from them. "Why?" he yelled.

"If the killers knew there were witnesses other than the ones they were paying off, they'd be dead. Not that I care about my life…but they don't care what kid saw the murder, they would just know it was a kid…

"Your brother would've been in danger." Jack said quietly, understanding.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Bobby asked quietly.

"We're not on the best of speaking terms if you haven't realized." She said with a slight smirk.

Then she began walking towards the car, trying to put that emotional admission behind her. The four brothers weren't the best at comforting, so allowed what just happened to be ignored.

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"What did Keenon give you?" Jerry asked while they were all sitting in the car outside of the apartment address they had received.

"Just this, why?" Liz asked pulling out the paper and then added, "how do you know?"

"I have eyes genius." Jerry laughed, grabbing the paper and opening it to read it.

"What does it say?' Jack asked.

"Keeping more secrets?" Bobby asked.

"I don't understand what this thing means." Jerry informed everyone.

"It's the pages for my chemistry homework." Liz laughed, grabbing it back. "Geez, you guys worry too much."

"Why aren't you at school?" Jerry asked suddenly, realizing she hadn't been in awhile.

"I'm taking a break." Liz responded.

All the brothers turned and gave her a look that she should explain.

"I'm suspended alright!" She admitted reluctantly.

"What? Why?" Jerry asked.

"Not telling." Liz said, sticking out her tongue.

"Don't make me call the school to find out!" Jerry threatened.

"About which one." Liz mumbled.

"You're suspended for more then one thing?" Jack asked laughing.

She turned to Jerry to explain herself.

"The first thing was totally not my fault!" She began, "I did NOT set that classroom on fire."

The front seat erupted with laughter from Bobby and Angel.

"Nice one, pyro." Bobby laughed, dubbing her with a nickname, much to Liz's distress.

"Honest, I was an innocent bystander." Liz tried again, but it wasn't working.

"And the other thing?" Jerry questioned.

"Okay…maybe that was my fault, but the guy totally deserved it."

"What…did…you…do?" Jerry emphasized each word and spaced it away from the others.

"One guy was talking trash, so I put him where he belonged." Liz said simply.

"And where might this be?" Jack asked, trying not to laugh.

"The dumpster."

More laughter came from the front.

"You guys aren't helping you know!" Jerry yelled at his brothers.

"Why would you be suspended for that?" Angel asked through his laughter.

"We kinda locked it…" Liz said, trying to not to meet Jerry's gaze.

Before he could say anything else, Liz quickly added.

"Don't you have somewhere to be?"

"Oh shit, let me out Bobby, I got gymnastics." Jerry said to his brother.

"Got your tights on?" Bobby laughed.

"For the girls smart ass." He replied, "Now let me out, I got a schedule to keep."

As Bobby pulled the seat up to let him out Jerry looked at Liz, "We'll talk later."

"Want to take Cracker Jack with ya? He's flexible." Bobby laughed.

"You're the one who took ballet Bobby." Jack said quietly, to Liz's stifled laughter.

As everyone was sitting in the silence of the car, Liz dared to test Bobby's patience using the information she had just gained.

"So…twinkletoes…" Liz began, but never got the rest of the words out before she began evading Bobby's flailing arms from the front seat, laughing as he missed multiple times in his playful punching. Rafiel, who was also still with them, barked at the excitement in the car.

Liz began to relax as Jack began to sing "Plastic Jesus" and trace his finger against the window fog. Liz wondered what would happen if and when they found Damian.


	12. Crazy Fun

_Hey everyone, sorry this update took so long:( I've been really distracted because my second semester started and it's going to be alot of work. I'll keep trying to update but bear with me! Anyway, thanks to my reviewers, you always make my day, and thanks to everyone who reads this story. I hope you enjoy the next chapter:)_

"There he is!" Jack said from the backseat all of a sudden as he spotted the "witness" through his finger traces through the fog. Everyone leapt from the car and began to run towards the guy. As they entered the interior of the apartment complex, Bobby hollered "you Damian?" and pulled out a gun. Liz smacked her head and sighed at Bobby's stupidity, as the guy freaked out and jumped into the elevator.

"Why you pullin' out a gun?" asked Angel in disbelief as he and Bobby began to run for the stairs.

"Tell us where it stops." Bobby shouted to Jack and Liz and Rafiel, the dog had followed them inside.

"One…Two…Three…" Jack said each number as that lit up, raising a finger for each number.

"It's a good thing it doesn't go past ten or you'd have to take off your socks." Liz joked as the elevator stopped at six.

Liz and Jack ran to the stairwell and yelled the number up the stairs to a tired Angel and a frustrated Bobby. Rafiel began running up the stairs as well and Liz quickly ran after him, trying to catch him. Jack started up the stairs slowly, knowing Bobby would probably end up interrogating the guy and he should wait behind. Liz took the stairs two at a time, falling behind her dog and passing a now exhausted Angel. Liz was reaching the sixth floor when she heard the Damien yell,

"I've got something for you."

Which was followed by gunshots. Her heart jumped into her throat and she swung open the door to the sixth floor. She was shocked to see Bobby shooting at Rottweilers.

"Don't shoot my dogs!" Damien yelled angrily.

Liz had no idea what to do, but Rafiel was eager to defend Bobby and jumped one of the dogs. Angel finally made it to the top and stared wide-eyed at the scene unfolding before him.

"Angel! These dogs are eating me!" Bobby yelled.

Liz watched Angel turn and run and she began to chase him.

"Where are you going? You're just gonna leave him?" Her mind was racing, but she breathed a sigh of relief as Angel tried to retrieve a fire-extinguisher from the wall. She watched for a moment as he desperately tried to kick the glass in and bash the covering to get to the fire extinguisher. Liz sighed and walked toward him, stopping him with one hand. She lifted the latch that opened the unlocked door of the case and raised her eyebrows.

"I'm in a panic here, you want me to think?" Angel defended himself, grabbing the extinguisher and running back to Bobby.

"Rafiel!" Liz called and the dog responded, just getting out of the way before Angel used the extinguisher on the rottweilers. Angel and Bobby ran towards the apartment Damien had run into, kicking down the door and locking the dogs out. Liz ran to get water for Bobby's eyes, stung by the extinguisher. As she did this Angel found Damien…hanging from a rope out the window. Angel shot at him as Damien returned the bullets.

"Give me that!" Bobby said grabbing the gun.

"I just wanted to talk!" Bobby yelled out the window, diving back into the room as bullets narrowly missed his head.

"That's it!" Bobby said angrily, Liz frozen by the mere anger in his eyes. He grabbed a nearby knife and hollered "You're going down now!" And he began chopping at the rope.

Liz heard a scream and a thud as the guy hit the ground.

"You killed him." Angel said plainly.

"Naw, he ain't dead, he's just fucked up. Let's go talk to him now." Bobby replied, heading for the door.

"C'mon Liz." Angel called as she leaned over the edge of the window, staring in shock at Damien lying in the snow at the bottom.

"What happened?" Asked Jack out of breath and still clutching his crowbar.

"They killed him." Liz said.

"He's not dead!" Bobby said in a raised voice, Jack shaking his head.

"Where are we going?" Jack said as everyone headed for the stairs. "Where is Damien?"

"I gave him a flying lesson." Bobby said, heading back down the stairs.

"Was he any good?" Jack asked with a smirk.

"Flew like a rock." Liz replied with a laugh.

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"Where's Liz?" Bobby asked at the bottom of the stairs.

"She was right behind me." Jack replied.

"She's right there." Angel said pointing through the stairwell door.

Bobby opened the door, him and his brothers tired from climbing up and down stairs.

"How'd you and Rafiel get down here so fast?" He questioned.

"It's called the elevator genius." Liz replied heading for the exit.

"Jack, hand me the crowbar." He said, trying to sound threatening, but Liz knew that if he hadn't hit her yet, he wasn't going to and only laughed.

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Liz looked away from the bone sticking out of the man's leg in front of her, cringing. She was usually fine with blood and pain, she'd seen enough of it, but a bone through skin did kind of gross her out. It didn't take the brothers long before they got the information they needed out of Damien in exchange for an ambulance. He had been paid off to be a witness, but hadn't seen anything and though he didn't know the names of the two men, he did give them a description.

Bobby and Angel left to drive Rafiel to Jerry's house, something about being sick of dogs, and Jack and Liz found a payphone and called an ambulance. They were to meet Bobby and Angel at the corner of a street and had gone into a convenience store to buy some food. They sat on the snow eating a bag of chips, trying to see if they could throw them into each other's mouths after awhile of boredom. Apparently, Liz was growing even more bored and when it was her turn to throw the next chip, she smashed a snowball into Jack's face. A snowball fight ensued, Liz wasn't ready for Jack's good aim, and she began to laugh, like she had when she had been with Charlie, she missed her brother so much.

"I hate to break up your figure skating dance ice princesses but we gotta go." Came Bobby's voice from the sidewalk.

Jack and Liz looked up at Bobby and Angel who were laughing at them from the street. They had a mental connection and at the same time whipped the snowballs in their hands.

"Oh no you didn't!" Angel said, chasing after the two.

"Don't get pulled into their childish games Angel." Bobby scolded, wiping snow from his face, but just as he got the last flake, three more snowballs hit him.

He looked up at the playful glint in all of his siblings' eyes. They were all laughing, but froze as they caught the look in Bobby's eyes.

"So you wanna play huh?" He asked calmly, reaching down to the snow, causing the other three to run in fear as Bobby hurled chunks of snow…and ice…at them.

Maybe Liz could learn to like these guys, they weren't so bad, she thought, as one of Bobby's ice balls hit her square in the back of the head.


	13. Car Chase

_Okay, I'm sorry. These updates are taking awhile, but I'm trying:) Anyway, I'l keep this short and sweet. Thanks so much to everyone who reviews, they mean so much to me, and thanks to everyone who reads this story, I hope you're all enjoying it. Well, here's the next chapter, I hope you like it:_

Liz searched the casino for a man with a goatee-the man who killed her mother. Jack, Angel and Bobby were also scanning the room.

"Hey, that's him." Jack whispered to Bobby.

"Where?" Bobby asked quickly.

"Over there, the guy with the goatee!" Jack said raising his arm and pointing.

Liz and Bobby both instinctively went to pull Jack's arm back down.

"Put your hand down Jack, I see him!" Bobby scolded. "Let's get this guy!"

"He's seen us." Liz tried to tell her brothers, but she was being ignored. "Look out!" she yelled grabbing Jack's arm and pulling him down before a bullet could hit him.

The two men they had spotted, one with the goatee, were now fleeing towards the back door, leaving the three brothers and Liz to swerve in and out of people as they tried to catch up. Jack and Liz made it through rather quickly and Liz looked over her shoulder to see Angel close behind and Bobby punching some guy in his way right in the jaw. When they reached the door, Jack tried to shoot the car the murderers were using to escape, but missing miserably.

"You go girl!" Bobby said sarcastically, hitting Jack's arm. "Let's go!"

The car flew out of the parking space in reverse, and Jack laughed as Liz quickly did up her seatbelt before Bobby put it in drive.

"Scared?" Angel said with a grin teasing her.

"Of Bobby's driving? Hell ya!" Liz responded, lucky that Bobby was too occupied with following the killers to notice.

"Focus here!" He yelled.

Liz watched as the car in front of them barely made the turn on the slippery snow and realized too late that Bobby didn't start the turn early enough to account for any sliding.

"TURN TURN TURN!" She yelled at her brother as the car smashed into a parked vehicle.

"AH!" Bobby yelled in frustration, "wrecked the whole side of my car!"

"You have to turn earlier because of the snow!" Liz tried telling her brother.

"Shut the fuck up!" He yelled trying to concentrate.

"C'mon Bobby, basic laws of motion!" Jack teased.

"Yeah…Bobby failed physics." Angel joked.

"Didn't even fucking take physics, now everyone shut up. Jack where's that shot gun?" Bobby yelled into the backseat.

"There aren't any shells left." Jack replied.

"Well where are they?" Bobby's voice was stressed in angry.

"In the trunk, what do you want me to do…?" Jack tried to defend himself as Bobby yelled at him.

"Sit down and shut up Jack." Bobby said cutting Jack off.

"Don't yell at him!" Liz screamed back in Jack's defense.

"Sorry fairy." Bobby said, and then turned to Angel pointing to the handgun he was holding, "See if you can hit them."

Angel began shooting bullets out the window, and to everyone's amazement in both cars, shot the driver of the other car.

Liz could only stare in shock at how the brothers still managed to argue in the car and be involved in a high-speed chase through the snow at the exact same time.

As the car in front crashed into a bunch of snow, Bobby smirked.

"Girls, you better have your seatbelts on back there. Jackie watch this." Bobby warned before he accelerated the car and prepared to smash into the killers' car.

Jack and Liz both brace themselves against the seat as the cars collided sending the killers' car back onto the road and destroying one of Bobby's car's headlights.

As the car being pursued began to drive away, Liz grew frustrated.

"They were stuck and you set them free! You just had to smash into them didn't you?"

"Don't let them get away!" Angel added to Liz's scolding.

"Men." Liz grumbled.

Angel went to lean out the window again to get more rounds off. The car in front began to shoot back at the Mercer's. Liz's eye caught sparks near Bobby's window.

"I see sparks." She tried to warn him, but she was being ignored again.

"Hello?" She questioned. "That's it." She unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned over Bobby's shoulder, "I SEE SPARKS!" she yelled in his ear.

"That would be the guns moron." He replied, just as the tire where the sparks had come from burst causing Angel to almost fall out of the car. Jack, Bobby and Liz quickly pulled him back in.

"Gotta blowout!" Bobby said angrily and turned to see Liz looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" Bobby said innocently, as if Liz hadn't warned him about the tire.

"Let's just stop the car Bobby. Okay? Let's just stop." Jack tried after seeing the tire gone. Liz could tell he was afraid.

"No way, gonna ride this out on the rim!" Bobby said with a laugh and determination.

"Gimme the gun." Liz said to Angel.

"Hell no." Was the reply.

"I'm with Angel…Why are they getting further away!" Bobby yelled in frustration.

"They have ALL of their tires." Liz shot at him. She grew angry at being ignored.

"Okay," Liz began, "I've done things your way long enough, I'm sick of 'Bobby's way', we're gonna try 'Liz's way'!" She said very demanding.

"No bullets left." Angel replied shooting the last bullet at the car and handing her the gun, but that didn't stop her. She reached under her pant leg and grabbed the rounds she stored there.

"What the fuck are those for?" Jack asked.

"Just because I carry around a paintball gun doesn't mean I don't HAVE a real one." Liz replied, wishing she did have her gun that she kept safely hidden in the house. Her mother never liked her carrying guns around and sometimes even checked before she left the house, but Liz would never be without one in the house. She felt safer with it there, where she could protect Evelyn and her brother.

She reached out the window and within two shots had hit the tire of the killers' car.

"How'd you do that?" Bobby asked.

"It's called aim." Liz teased.

"Then why didn't you hit them?" Angel yelled.

Liz stopped and thought about it for a minute. Even though she had her gun and shot it before, she'd never actually tried to kill anyone before. She caught Jack's eyes and knew he understood, she let a small smile escape her. Both of them could have never killed anyone, and were afraid of being put in that situation.

As the Mercer car caught up with the killers' car and began ramming the side of it, the killers' car began to spin out of control and Bobby laughed and slammed on the brakes and turned the steering wheel so that the car would crash into the side of the spinning car to send it flipping.

"Oh fuck!" Liz yelled before bracing herself as her side of the car collided with the spinning one. Jack was thrown to that side of the car, causing Liz to know she would be bruised tomorrow.

The killers' car flipped and skidded to a halt upside down and all the Mercers laughed in triumph. Liz amazed she was even still alive.

They all got out of the car and Bobby and Angel ran toward the killers.

"Jack, stay here!" Bobby ordered, "and watch your sister."

For once, Liz didn't protest. She had a bad feeling. She stared at the endless white in front of her, the snow hiding the figures of her brothers as she heard the groans of the killers as they were hit and kicked over and over again.

Then all of a sudden there were gun shots and Liz quickly turned away covering her ears, the mere knowledge of what was happening hurting her.

"Jack, did it stop?" She asked, but there was no reply.

"Jack?" She tried again, but out of the corner of her eye she saw him turning away as well.

He finally turned back around.

"Are they…gone?" He asked carefully as his brothers ran towards the car.

"Yeah, Let's go!" Bobby said quickly, puling Jack's arm as he ran.

"Liz, c'mon!" Angel added, but Liz was staring at the endless white in front of her again, where she knew the people who killed her mother lay dead. She stood there unsure how to feel and her hands trembled beneath her thoughts.

Then, she felt someone grab her shoulders and steer her towards the car. Bobby had come back for her.

She met Jack's eyes, the same uncertainty she felt lay behind them, but he offered her a smile.

"You alright?" Bobby asked softly.

"Yeah." She replied quietly, then she paused, "But I'm driving home!"


	14. Liz's Fight

_Hey again! Sorry these updates are taking so long, but I'm trying. Thanks so much for the reviews, I'm still loving them, and thankyou to everyone who still reads my story. Any suggestions or corrections are appreciated and I hope you all enjoy the next chapter:_

When Liz got home, she tiredly climbed the stairs as Angel and Sofi ran by her and Bobby tried to explain to Jack that some people paid witnesses to lie in order to cover up murders.

Liz was so tired, that the minute she hit her bed she fell into a deep sleep. It didn't last long though because her sleep was soon replaced by breath-stopping nightmares about her past. Everything in her dreams seemed real and she awoke panting and scared out of her mind. She hated reliving the abuse and the fear, but she knew it would happen tonight because emotionally shocking experiences, like the death of the killers that night, always brought on the memories.

She got up and slowly crept down the stairs, surprised to see Bobby awake on the couch.

Without a word she climbed onto the other side of the couch and watched television with him. She was surprised at her own actions. Never before had she felt comfortable enough to sit with anyone in any of her foster homes willingly. She grew content with the comfort these "brothers" were bringing her and eventually fell asleep under the protection she felt from the ever-guarding Bobby.

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The next morning was pretty uneventful, and Liz relaxed on the floor of the family room while her brothers discussed what to do next. Bobby wanted to go and investigate the killers' house, but before he could get any further with his idea, a teenager burst through the front door.

"Liz!" Shouted the boy with fear.

"It's called knocking!" Bobby yelled, a gun pointed at the intruder.

"Liz, Trevor's in trouble!" He shouted again.

"What!" Liz yelled grabbing her coat.

"He's gonna fight John!" The boy said, his breath returning.

"Don't worry Neil, I'm coming. Where is he?" Liz said calmer then she felt. Trevor was in her close group of friends, but was never good at fighting. If it wasn't for the fact that he was Riley's best friend from when they were younger, he probably wouldn't have even hung out with them.

She and Neil ran out the door, her brothers in hot pursuit.

"What's going on?" Angel questioned as Neil and Liz began to run.

Liz was further ahead, now knowing where the trouble was, but Bobby was able to catch up to Neil.

"What's going on?" He demanded.

"You the one who hit John?" The black boy asked.

"Yes, what about it?" He questioned.

"You just pissed him off more then he already was! What were you thinking?" Neil began yelling, but stopped as he saw Bobby's confused look.

"He hates her. Before she got here, he was the one to fear. The one who you didn't mess with. But she wasn't afraid of him, stood up to him, didn't back down when he confronted her, and eventually she kicked his ass. He's always trying to cause her trouble. He gets her to fight by bothering us, her friends, because he knows she'll protect us." Neil explained as quickly as possible as they all turned the corner to see Liz approaching Trevor, Andrea and a few other people.

"Where's Riley?" She asked immediately.

"Probably in jail." Someone responded.

Liz rolled her eyes, "what happened?"

"He hit her." Trevor said angrily pointing to Andrea. "Cuz she wouldn't take all the shit he was saying about us."

"You okay?" She asked, checking her friend over. She never felt close to these people, like they were family or anything, but she did feel responsible for them, like she needed to protect them.

"Let's just go, okay? He just wants to fight; we'll be giving him what he wants." Liz told everyone.

"What's wrong foster bitch? Afraid of taking a little abuse?" John taunted from where he stood.

That was it. Liz could never take his taunting well, especially when it was about her past.

She walked up to him, and right when he was in the middle of another taunt, punched him right across his face. He stumbled back in shock and decided to take a swing at her, but she dodged it easily and elbowed him in the ribs, then kneeing him where it hurt, causing him to fall to the ground. She wasn't very tall, but knew where to hit in a fight in order to win. As he was on the ground, she kicked again.

"You don't kick a man when he's down!" John tried to spit out angrily.

"Your right…you don't kick a _MAN_ when he's down. But you…I don't even know what you are." Liz said angrily, unable to find words to describe her hatred for him.

"C'mon guys." Liz motioned to her friends.

"I'm going to the mall." She informed her brothers. "This time, don't follow me. The shit that happens out here on the street, my business, doesn't concern you." And with that she walked away.

Angel began to follow, but Bobby stopped him.

"She can take care of herself." He said, "We've got bigger things to plan." Bobby wanted to focus on his mother's murder right now. And besides, how much trouble could she get into at the mall?

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"Where's Liz!" Andrea yelled, coming right into the Mercer house.

Again Bobby had a gun pointed at the door.

"Don't you people ever knock?" He yelled in frustration.

It had only been about an hour since they had left Elizabeth, no time to really accomplish anything.

"What do you mean where's Liz?" Jack asked concerned.

"Some people started shooting at us in the mall, she split up from us when we realized they wanted her." Andrea spoke quickly.

Riley entered the house too. "She said to meet her back here."

As if on cue, Liz burst through the door, gripping her arm.

She ran up to the bathroom, opening the cabinet and pulling out bandages.

"What happened?" Everyone asked all at once.

"Andrea, riley, go home, I have to talk to Bobby." Liz instructed.

"Are you okay?" Andrea asked, with a concerned Riley over her shoulder.

"I'm fine, just go okay?" She told them once again.

"Where were you earlier today?" Angel asked Riley, suddenly noticing his presence.

"You heard the lady, got to go." Riley said with a smile and took off down the stairs, Andrea close behind.

"You're shot!" Jack said, staring at the blood on her arm.

"No shit Sherlock!" Liz said angrily, then felt bad for yet again yelling at the innocent Jack and added, "Just skimmed me, I'm fine."

"Who?" Was the only word Bobby spoke.

"Let's go find the witness…Let's throw him out a window…Let's break his leg…" Liz began to rant.

"It was Damian? How'd he even walk?" Angel questioned.

"It wasn't him, it was his friends." Liz corrected.

"How'd you know?" Jack asked.

"I know Keenon remember. I've seen his brother and who he hangs out with, those were the guys." She explained while carefully bandaging her arm.

Jack began to help her because she was having trouble.

Bobby began to walk towards the door.

"Where are you going?" She asked.

"To get these guys." He said like it was obvious.

"Bobby, don't! You have no idea who they are, and you'll just be wasting time. Besides, I called Keenon, he's going to fix things with them, don't worry." Liz began, chasing after Bobby, with Jack still trying to bandage her arm.

"They're going to pay." He replied.

"Just leave it!" She yelled.

"Why?" He yelled back.

"Because this is the real world Bobby. You can't just go around killing people! Maybe off in Bobby land you can, but this is the earth. Shit happens and there's nothing you can do about it." Liz was frustrated. She already felt bad for hurting Keenon's brother and was afraid of what Bobby could really do after seeing him kill those guys. She didn't want Keenon to have to deal with anything else. Also, she'd rather focus on her mother's murder then her lousy injury.

"Look Bobby." Liz began again, "These guys aren't going to help us get mom's killers, if anything they'll slow us down. You have to pick your battles Bobby; you have to let this one go."

Bobby didn't look happy, but she was right. He had no idea who these punks were, though he could eventually figure it out, and he definitely didn't have time to. Not while trying to find the guy behind the hired hit man of his mom's death. He sighed, which signaled he was giving in.

"Okay, now that it's settled, will you please stop moving?" Jack asked, as Liz turned to see her completely mangled bandage. She laughed and sat still as he carefully turned the white cloth around her arm.

"Thanks…" Liz said, but it was barely above a whisper. She wasn't used to help while tending to her injuries. Jack smiled and continued his work, while Bobby tried to forget about his sister being hurt and tried to focus on what to do next. Bobby was surprised at his thought of Liz as his sister. It seemed more real everyday, especially with all the trouble she was getting into. She really was a Mercer.

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"We're going." Jack said into the family room, but Liz didn't move from the television screen.

Jack walked in and turned off the television.

"I take it 'we' includes 'me'." Liz sighed as Jack laughed.

"We're going to check out the address of the killers." Jack informed her, as Angel fought with Sofi who wanted him to stay for dinner. She was having difficulties convincing him to stay as Bobby taunted her and made fun of Angel.

"It's sad when my little sisters are the only ones down to ride." Bobby told Angel when the younger brother decided to stay with Sofi.

"C'mon, fifteen minutes!" Angel pleaded, but Bobby was already out the door.

"Let's go Jackie and Lizzie, say goodbye to your big sister." Bobby called.

"She's addicted to what Angel's dick did." Jack taunted, loving being able to make fun of someone else for a change, as he and Liz shut the front door in Angel's frustrated face.


	15. Sneaky Snakes

_Alright, I've put this off long enough. I'm sorry everyone that this update has taken forever, but I've been SO busy. I have a lot to do right now as well, but I'll take an hour out of my sleep to get this chapter up! Thanks to all my reviewers and to everyone who is sticking with this story even if updates are few and far between :)_

"What exactly am I looking for?" asked Liz as she searched through a room in the killers' house.

"Anything that looks suspicious, or that could link them to mom's killing or that gives us leads." Jack explained quickly, picking up a camera.

Liz watched Bobby pull back the sheets of a bed and throw off the mattress to reveal a display of guns.

"Wow…" Liz said in shock, "What a place to keep your guns…what happened if things get rough in bed? Imagine one of those things going off?"

Jack was staring at her with a shocked expression.

"Go help your sister look for stuff!" Bobby said quickly, also in a bit of shock. He knew Liz was bold, but man was she pushing it!

Liz began looking in the other bedroom, while Jack helped Bobby collect the guns.

"What'd you find?" Bobby questioned Jack.

"Camera." Jack replied.

All of a sudden an ear-piercing scream went through the house and Jack and Bobby dropped everything and ran to the cause.

"Liz! What happened!" Bobby called as he entered the room, Jack right on his heels.

He watched Liz frozen in the middle of the room and ran to her side, trying to understand what happened.

"Liz! Liz answer me!" Bobby demanded.

Liz began to smile and then laugh hysterically, leaving her brothers totally confused. Liz pointed at the bed in her fit of giggles. The brothers followed her direction to see a GIANT snake curled on the bed.

"He startled me that's all." Liz said, still laughing.

"And I thought keeping the guns in the bed was odd." She laughed again.

Jack just sighed in relief. She was okay. He had grown protective over the newest Mercer. It was nice having someone younger to look after, even if she really didn't seem to need it. He began to laugh to at the thought of Liz checking the bed only to be greeted by a serpent.

"Well I'm glad we're all having fun, but may I remind you we're breaking and entering, so unless you two want to be caught when the neighbours come to check on what the screaming was all about, we'd better move it." Bobby sighed, trying to hide his own laughter at the situation. It was one of those experiences that seemed even funnier in the moment, but at this particular moment, he was more concerned on getting home and finding a new lead on what happened to his mother.

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Liz watched Bobby go through all the guns and Jack go through the pictures of the digital camera. She yawned, growing bored of just sitting around. She looked up as Jerry walked through the door, Bobby pointing the gun currently in his hand towards his younger brother.

"What are ya'll doing?" Jerry questioned at the sight of the gun. "Awe, man! What are you guys doing to mom's house! It's a mess!"

"You're right Jer. Sofi, make yourself useful and clean up a bit." Bobby teased at the already hard-working Sofi.

She chucked a towel at his head, but missed by a mile, only to receive more taunting from Bobby. Liz had grow to like the other woman and decided to defend her, grabbing a nearby baseball and chucking it with expert accuracy at the oldest brothers head. She jumped up from her spot on the kitchen chair as Bobby turned to chase her. She ran into Angel who had a questioning look on his face.

"What are you up to?" He asked.

"Just cleanin' up a bit." Bobby answered, lifting Liz over his shoulder and pulling her back into the dining room. "Time to take out the trash."

Liz struggled, but knew he was too strong. She could only laugh, no longer afraid of this older man, but feeling completely relaxed and trusting in his grip.

"Look at this!" Jack called, causing Bobby to place Liz on the ground and look over.

Everyone watched the digital camera as Jack showed them pictures of their mom meeting with the lawyer.

"He said he only met her once!" Jack said accusingly.

"Are you sure he said that?" Liz questioned. She must've still not been listening too much when they went to pick up the contents of her mother's safety deposit box.

"Yeah, why?" He asked.

"Well, he came by a lot. Mom also went out to see him a bunch of times." Liz informed them.

"And why wouldn't you mention this?" Bobby asked angrily.

"It didn't seem important." Liz said quietly, looking at her shoes.

Realizing he was yelling, Bobby changed his tone. "Well let's go pay our lawyer a visit."

"Where were you?" Jack asked Angel all of a sudden.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Angel replied, giving Jerry a funny look. "Let's go." He added.

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Bobby punched through the glass window on the back door of the lawyer's house.

"You had to break the window? Didn't you?" Liz sighed.

"And what would you have done?" He asked challengingly.

Liz turned the knob on the door to see if it was unlocked, and it easily swung open. She triumphantly looked at Bobby. "Men." She muttered, walking through the door.

A white poodle approached the group and Bobby picked it up and laughed, "Oh look! An attack dog!"

The brothers and Liz found a computer with a calendar and began copying the contents of it, for the initials E.M. were on it, Evelyn Mercer.

"Angel!" Yelled a voice from outside and a loud blaring horn sounded.

"Angel! Come outside and talk to me right now!" She continued to blare the car horn and yell "People! There are robbers in the house!"

"Shut her up!" Jack sighed.

"Come with me, this bitch is crazy." Angel replied.

Liz laughed as all the brothers tried to carry the thrashing Sofi from the house, but she turned at the sound of a car. The lawyer was home.

Bobby immediately opened the door and threw him to the ground, slapping his stomach, not hard, but still threatening.

"Just ask the question." Jerry said as Jack and Angel tried to hold Sofi back by themselves.

"Why were you with my mother?" Bobby asked.

"We…we….were seeing each other socially." He answered with a stutter.

"What?" Bobby questioned.

"We…" he began.

"No, I understand." Bobby stopped him.

"I have some of your mother's night things if you want them." The lawyer said timidly.

"No, that's not necessary." Bobby replied, a look of disgust on his face.

"Bad mental image." Liz said, causing Jack to start laughing and Jerry to attempt to hide a smile.

"I'm just trying to find out what happened to my mother." Bobby explained.

"That's alright." The lawyer replied.

"I broke your back window." Bobby added, before running off to follow his brothers who were carrying Sofi away.

"Let's go home." Bobby sighed. "Get some rest for tomorrow."

"No way." Liz replied, "I got somewhere to go."

"Where?" Jack questioned.

"That's for me to know and you guys to find out!" Liz called as she began to run away from her brothers. "You guys seem to be pretty good detectives, shouldn't take you long to figure it out." She added, a twinkle of mischievousness in her eyes.


	16. Overcoming The Past

_Okay, I'm going to update now while I have some free time. It's the next day after my other update, so I hope it makes up for all the waiting you guys had to go through for my last one. Well, I'll keep this short and sweet. Thanks yet again to all my reviewers, you guys make my day, and thanks to everyone who still reads my story :)_

Liz's body moved to the music, she danced close to Riley, trying to escape the memories from the situation she had encountered only moments before. It wasn't interrogating the lawyer that was making her uneasy, but what had happened on her way over to the club… She pushed the memories away and continued to let the music consume her. Somehow, music was the only thing that would tear her mind away from her life, from her problems. It entered her mind, filled her soul and released her from her prison.

Liz didn't even notice her brothers enter the club.

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"Hey! Look who's here." Jack said with a laugh.

The brothers had decided to take a night off from tracking down their mothers' killer. There wasn't much you could do so late at night, and they just happened to end up at the same club as Liz. Okay, they had actually tracked down Liz's friend Andrea from Thanksgiving Day and asked where everyone was going, but that was their story and they were sticking to it.

As Jack followed his brothers across the club, away from Liz (they had decided to try and remain unnoticeable…though it was hard for the Mercers) he wondered why she was wearing the hood on her sweater. She must've been getting hot. He also wasn't too happy with how closely she and Riley were dancing, and as he watched Bobby's face, he could tell Bobby wasn't all that thrilled about it either.

Then Jack noticed a familiar face. John. What in the world was that creep doing here. He watched carefully, ready to spring to his sister's defense at any moment, but his focus was ruined as Bobby began to talk about their mother again and he missed what happened next.

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"Get off my dance floor Mercer." John said to Liz in a demanding tone.

"Oh come on John, you don't own the club." Liz replied, trying to ignore him.

He grabbed her arm. "I said leave!"

He had been trying to rebuild his status as a force to be reckoned with for awhile, and Liz didn't feel like dealing with him right now. She was still a little shaken from her encounter with him before the club, so she pulled her arm sharply away and began to leave. Riley was shocked, she had never been submissive to him before and he started to follow.

"You play with fire, you're gonna get burned." John said as Liz walked by him, lightly taping the right side of her face.

But that was it. No one but her knew why, but it set her off. She expertly threw a punch across his jaw knocking him back and a fight ensued.

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Jack looked up to see John lightly tapping his sisters face and saying something, which caused his Liz to throw a punch, getting herself into a fight…and into serious trouble. As she got hit right in her stomach, Jack leapt up, running to the now forming crowd around them. Bobby, Angel and Jerry noticed it too and followed the youngest brother.

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When the brothers finally reached the centre of the circle, Liz had John pinned to the ground and was delivering punches to his face. Normally, he could have easily gotten up under Liz's weight, but the repeated hits were messing with his head.

Jack grabbed Liz around the waist and pulled her off. She was so upset, that Bobby had to help Jack hold her back, while Angel and Jerry grabbed John.

"You're insane! You know that!" John yelled angrily at Liz.

Jack looked to his sister, whose hood had fallen off, revealing eyes full of anger and starting to fill with tears. Bobby, who was on the right side of her face and looked in shock at what he saw.

"Liz? What happened?" Bobby asked concerned.

But Liz pulled away quickly from her brothers, turned around and ran.

Jack was able to see the source of Bobby's concern as Liz turned to run. On her face was what appeared to be a new cigarette burn. He could only wonder where that came from, but then looked at John, wondering if maybe he had been the one to do it.

Angel and Jerry had released John and one of his friends came over.

"Man, Sanchez, you're dad shoulda put her in an insane asylum, never mind foster homes." The guy said.

"Sanchez?" Jerry said shocked. "As in Mark Sanchez?" He questioned John.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" John said rather bravely.

"Jerry, what's going on?" Bobby questioned.

"His dad is that jerk Mark from the funeral. One of her foster workers." Jerry answered.

"Did you do that to her face?" Jack questioned.

John had grown smarter after his admittance to hitting Liz on Thanksgiving, and replied, "I dunno. Maybe."

Okay, he hadn't grown smarter, but at least he wasn't out right admitting it this time.

"He asked you a question!" Angel said, stepping in close to John's face.

"Yeah." John replied quietly.

But before Angel could hit him, Riley had stepped in and knocked the jerk to the ground.

Okay, so maybe Riley wasn't that bad of a kid, thought Jack with a smirk on his face.

"You quit messing with her! You hear me?" Riley began yelling at John. "Just because you're daddy's boy and allowed to look through all his files and know her entire past doesn't give you the fucking right to use it against her. Fuck, I bet if she was able to know all your deepest secrets she could bug the hell outta you too. You know she's tougher than you, and you know just how weak you are, and that's why you stoop to this level. But fuck, I'm done with this shit. I'm not staying outta it anymore. I should've stepped in a long time ago, but I didn't cuz she wanted to deal with you by herself. But you better hear me, you ever bother her again, and you got me to deal with. And unlike her, I won't go easy on you. You WILL end up in the hospital, cuz I don't fucking care if I end up in jail."

And with that he walked away.

"I'm sorry; she never wanted anyone to get involved." Riley added to Bobby as he left the club.

"No worries." Jack called after him.

He actually was really starting to like Riley. He realized that even though he and Liz always seemed so distant, it was really because Liz didn't want to get close to anyone. She was so used to dealing with things alone; she didn't know how to ask for help. But Riley understood, and really cared about her.

Bobby bent down right in front of John's face. "You ever mess with her again, and you're not only messing with Riley, but me. And no, you won't end up in the hospital, but the morgue." And with that, the brothers left.

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Liz walked through the door of the Mercer's house.

"You okay?" Jack asked immediately.

"Crying sweetheart?" Bobby said in a teasing voice…unsure how to approach this situation.

"It's called rain." Liz replied coldly. Even though it was obvious her eyes were beat red.

Rafiel came to great her and she pat the dogs head, gaining comfort from her friend.

"You didn't tell us John was Mark's son." Bobby said.

"Must've slipped my mind." Liz sighed, heading to the kitchen, but Angel stepped in her path.

"He did that to you." Angel stated, pointing to her burnt cheek.

"Who cares?" Liz replied. Though she cared…a lot. It had bothered her the entire time she was at the club and when John was being a smart ass and touched the exact spot on her face where he had burnt her right before the club, it had set her off. She couldn't handle the memories of her past, and hated anyone or anything that reminded her of them. John knew everything, and always used it to his advantage. He had jumped her before the club, angry that she had one the fight earlier, and trying to show he was tougher once and for all. Though she might've been able to take him on in a fight, he and his friends were too strong. She shut her eyes as she remembered her helplessness as the fire from the cigarette burned her skin, the laughter in John's voice as he enjoyed every minute of it, and the anger growing within her.

Jack could tell Liz was upset, and grabbed her shoulders and steered her towards the couch. He grabbed some antibiotics for her face and began fixing her cheek. Though she tried to move away, Jack skillfully continued what he was doing. She didn't want to show it, but Liz was grateful that her brother cared.

"Did he ever control where you went?" Bobby asked suddenly.

"Mark? Duh, he's one of my social workers." Liz replied.

"No, John." Bobby answered.

Liz was quiet…she had guessed Mark hated her even more because John always complained about her, but never considered John had anything to do with where she went.

"I dunno." She replied.

"We're going to pay Mark a little visit tomorrow." Bobby stated.

"What? No?" Liz yelled, jumping from the couch.

As from before, she hated anything that reminded her of her past, and Mark was a big part of that past. She always had a feeling he knew where she was going when he assigned her to a new foster home, and he had repeatedly tried to put her in homes that would 'straighten her out'.

"Yes." Bobby replied simply.

Another power struggle between the two siblings was about to start again.

"We have to focus on mom…" Liz began.

"No," Bobby began, "That's the excuse you keep using. I wasn't supposed to hurt John the first time. I wasn't supposed to track down the people who shot at you. But I draw the line here. That jerk put you in those horrible homes and you know it. He let his bastard of a son see every little detail of everything that happened to you. I'm gonna deal with him, and I'm gonna deal with him now."

"He was supposed to kill me." Liz blurted out.

"He was supposed to put me in a foster home, where I would die!" Liz yelled angrily, "I never want to see him again! I don't want anything to do with him! So just leave things be!"

"How do you know?" Jerry asked shocked.

"John told me while he burned this lovely hole in my face. He told me how I was supposed to die, how the killers' had arranged it because they thought one of the kids had been in the van and they didn't want witnesses. How lucky my brother was to have found a permanent home far away and how lucky I was for now, and how once this home was done, it was over. But maybe if I listened to him, I could get out of it, or even stay here, alive. But maybe I shouldn't care. Maybe it's not worth worrying over every single day. I'd rather die then have to wonder every day if I'm gonna be dragged away from here or put through any more pain!"

With that, Liz ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door.

"Now we're definitely going." Angel sighed, seeing Bobby's expression.

"Maybe Mark knows something about our mother's death." Bobby stated, "and I definitely want to make sure he understand how important it is that Liz never be put in any more of those foster homes ever again…and how much trouble he's in for wanting to kill my sister."

Bobby's eyes were full of anger. Jerry sighed, knowing this Mark guy was in trouble. No one messed with a Mercer without Bobby dealing with them. Jerry also realized how lucky Liz was that they had decided to let her stay with them for a bit. He couldn't believe they almost hadn't taken her. Then Jerry smiled, realizing that in what Liz had just said, she had admitted to liking living with the brothers. She wanted to be left alone, left to live with them and not be afraid anymore. Jerry was determined to keep her there, but wasn't sure how much trouble he was willing to cause in that process. Seeing Bobby head to bed, he knew Bobby was willing to do ANYTHING.

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Liz tossed in her sleep, the day's events triggering her nightmares. She woke with a start at someone shaking her shoulder. She instinctively struck out at whoever it was, punching Jack in the stomach. Jack grabbed her hand and sat on her bed.

"It's me Liz. It's Jack." Jack tried to explain, but Liz's mind was confused and she struggled against the grip Jack had on her hand.

She didn't want to be hurt anymore.

"Stop!" She screamed in fear, her nightmare of the beatings and burnings still fresh in her mind.

Jack had no idea what to do, so he grabbed her in a hug as she tried to punch her way out.

"Liz! You're okay! You're safe! It's me, Jack! Your brother!"

All of a sudden, Liz realized what was going on. She realized how gentle Jack's grip had been on her wrist, not threatening, and how he was there for her, comforting her and not leaving her when she needed him the most.

She looked up into her brothers eyes. She saw him pleading with her to recognize him and finally all her pain, fear and loneliness came out. She cried. Just sat there and cried. And Jack sat there as well, not saying anything, but not needing to. For even though there were no words exchanged, there was finally a complete and total understanding between the two.

The other brothers appeared in the doorway, hearing her screams from earlier and stood quietly. They too needed no words to convey their feelings. They were all bonded, all there for each other, all loved.

_Oh my gosh! This is so long. I hope you guys liked this chapter; it's one of my favourites so far :)_


	17. Living Nightmare

_Hey Everyone, this'll be short and sweet. Thanks to all my reviewers, your comments always make me so happy. I also want to thank everyone who reads my story, and sticks with it, even though I don't update everyday. Enjoy:_

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_Liz quivered in fear as she listened to the yelling occurring above her head. She and her brother had been stuffed in the unfinished basement in their most recent foster home. It was late, and she knew that Karl, her newest 'foster dad' had just come home from the bar. She cringed as she heard Kristy, his wife hit the floor hard. They had only been there a month, and already that poor woman had already broken her wrist and sustained multiple bruises. Liz knew that once he was finished with her, he would seek out her and Charlie. She watched the fish in the tank beside the couch she slept on. She loved their brilliant colours and their fast darting movements. If only she was as fast as they were, she could run away from this place, but like the fish, who were trapped within the confines of the glass, she was a prisoner in the basement of this old house. Not allowed to see daylight for over a month and taken out of school. Karl had told the social workers he was home schooling them, but it was just a ploy to get more money from them. Besides, in the dark basement, no one would ever notice the cuts and purple blotches on the children._

_Footsteps began to descend down the flight of stairs. Liz woke her sleeping brother, who's eyes became full of concern. She quickly hid him in the cabinet they had both discovered and closed the door. It was only large enough for one of them, and Karl was usually to drunk to search for Charlie, if Liz was within striking distance. She hid under the stairs in the dark, as Karl pulled on the chain that lit the single light bulb. She watched him walk around the basement, disappearing behind some boxes._

_She turned to her right and screamed as her eyes met his and his hand grabbed her arm. He pulled her into the open, throwing her to the ground, his eyes angrier than she had ever seen them, which scared her even more. As he went to hit her, she decided she would fight for her life. No more hiding, cowarding, she wouldn't let this man kill her. Who would protect her brother? She jumped up and attempted to kick and punch with all her might, but the man was obviously larger and stronger, and it was useless, she could never win. It only enraged him more and as he knocked her to the ground, Liz looked up to see she was beneath the fish tank. Karl smashed his hand into the tank, causing water to flow out of the hole and onto Liz. Liz watched in horror as the beautiful fish fell out of the hole, flopping to death on the floor. One fell onto her lap, she watched the fish, released from its jail, suffocating in its freedom._

_She saw Karl reach for the broken shards of glass. She felt the sting of the sharp cuts that penetrated her skin. Maybe that was the only way to be free, Liz thought, as she watched the fish flop for the last time. She then decided to welcome her death, her freedom. As she watched her blood begin to spill onto the floor, she became horrified. Not because of what was happening to her, but because she saw her brother emerging from his hiding place to come to her rescue. She couldn't die! She wouldn't leave him alone, like her parents did. As Karl turned around at her brothers angry screams, Liz grabbed a piece of the tank in her own hands, stabbing Karl from behind in the back of his knee, causing him to fall and yell in pain._

"_Run Charlie!" Liz yelled._

_But Charlie grabbed a chair, smashing into Karl. Karl collapsed, and Charlie ran to his sister's side. She crawled up the stairs, Charlie at her side begging her to make it. She looked out into the kitchen to see Kristy laying motionless on the floor. Liz looked for signs of her chest rising and falling…but Kristy was dead. Charlie called the police, as Liz collapsed to the floor, blacking out._

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Liz woke up breathing hard, another one of her nightmares sending her heart rate into a marathon race. She was glad to see that the sunlight was creeping through her bedroom window. She looked over and felt a sense of protection in the fact that Jack had fallen asleep across the foot of her bed, his guitar still between his arms. He had played it all last night until she had fallen asleep. She then laughed as she saw Angel and Bobby asleep on the floor. None of the brothers had left her.

Liz pulled up her sleeve to see the old scars of that night on her arms, along with the scars of her cutting habit. After that night with Karl, she had wondered if cutting through her skin, releasing her pain, would possibly give her the freedom she desired. She had felt so close to leaving this world of suffering and longed to feel that way again. By cutting her arms, it not only took her mind away from the pain of her physical wounds caused by her foster homes, but it provided her psychological self to escape into the world where there were no boundaries, no fear, where she was in control.

But as Liz looked around at her sleeping brothers, she realized she had entered that world. She had escaped the pain, the loneliness, and entered a world of liberty, but more importantly, love. She realized that no matter how deep the cuts went, how far her mind escaped, she couldn't fully be free, without being safe and cared for. It was her younger brother's love that helped her survive all those years, as well as her love for him. And now, she no longer had to fight for it, because it was going to be there forever. Their bond of love, with her younger and now older brothers, their world of freedom, was unbreakable, and she was finally, once again, alive.

Rafiel leapt up onto the bed and licked Liz's face.

"Don't worry Raf, I love you too." Liz laughed.

_Okay, this is kind of short, but it's mostly because there was no dialogue. It's the March Break, give me a break lol. I hope this gives you some idea of what Liz went through. And I hope I'll be able to write another chapter soon:)_


	18. Betrayal Within

_Okay, I haven't updated in over a year, but I want to try and finish this story, give it some closure. It might not have the same feel as it did, but I'm going to try anyways. Thanks for all the reviews I've gotten, they mean so much to me )_

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Liz was downstairs watching tv, bracing herself for the encounter with Mark, her social worker. She decided to grab a hair tie from the bathroom, she always hid her face, her emotions, behind her hair, but today she wanted Mark to see everything and know exactly what he had done. As she turned the corner to the sound of Jack saying "Rug burn" she stopped dead in shock as she saw Bobby on the toilet, Angel standing there with an open robe, and Jack poking his head out of the shower.

Before anyone could say a word she just held up a hand and turned to leave "I don't even want to know".

Seconds later she could hear Angel telling Bobby about visiting Council man Douglas who had cut off Jerry's business and that Angel himself had other work to attend to. Angel left followed by Bobby's protests.

"This is gonna require a little finesse" Angel said as he walked away.

"I wrote the fucking book on finesse." Bobby shouted angrily, "Jackie, get me some toilet paper! ANGEL! ANGEL! Toilet paper!! Liz, get Angel!"

Liz followed Angel, a questioning look on her face, but Angel stopped her and said "Just go find councilman Douglas, we'll deal with Mark when I get back, k?"

Liz couldn't help but wonder what Angel was up to, and why he appeared so unhappy about it.

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"All I wanted was a name" Bobby prodded the councilman. Douglas had made a bad move, instead of talking to Bobby, Jack and Liz when questioned outside his car, he had chosen to dismiss them and get in. Into a car which Liz had filled with gasoline.

As Bobby covered the outside of the car with gas and Jack lit a cigarette, the fear grew in the Councilman's eyes. He rolled down his window "Victor…Victor Sweet."

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Liz sat with Bobby, Jack and Angel at the bowling alley, discussing how Victor Sweet had gotten rid of his uncle and taken over the town.

"You guys are putting this all together rather quickly" Jack stated with a laugh.

"Ya, we should've been fucking cops." Bobby replied, causing a laugh to escape from Liz at the thought of that.

That's when Angel pointed out Evan bowling with his family, explaining how he was one of Sweet's men.

What Liz saw next shocked her, and only when Jack saw it too did everyone take notice. Jerry was handing over a very large envelope to Evan.

"Jerry got a lot of money from mom's life insurance policy." Angel said as they watched the scene unfold.

Liz saw the look of betrayal and anger on Bobby's face, like he couldn't believe anything he was seeing or hearing. Without another thought Bobby took off across the bowling alley as Jerry left, Angel, Jack and Liz close behind.

At the sight of Bobby, Evan quickly began gathering his family, but not in time to escape. Bobby asked for the envelope, exposing the sight of his gun to make his point.

"You're gonna do this here?" Evan asked.

"Right here, right now!" Came Bobby's reply. And Evan reluctantly handed him what he asked for. As they walked away, Liz knew things were about to get heated, and that nothing was going to be the same.

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"His family's in there!!" Jack said as he held Bobby into the seat of the car.

"He thinks I dunno what the fuck is going on. He thinks I'm stupid. Call him Angel!" Bobby growled.

"It's ringing, just be quiet." Angel replied.

Liz listened as Angel told Jerry to meet them tomorrow at Mom's house, and closed her eyes at the words "We're still family right?"

No matter what, they were family. That's what Evelyn had taught them, but seeing Bobby's face, she didn't know if that would protect Jerry for long if he had anything to do with their mother's death. She knew how Bobby felt, how all the brothers felt. Betrayed by someone you trusted, by family. It was something so fragile, a family. So coveted, so valuable, and the thought of it being any more shattered then it already was put everyone in that car on edge.

"We have other business to attend to before tomorrow." Bobby said angrily, looking pointedly at Liz.

"Mark." Angel said through gritted teeth.

"Poor Mark" thought Liz with a smirk, Bobby's wrath will be taken out on him…

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_Sorry this chapter is a little short and a little boring. It's mostly just like the movie because I was trying to get a bit of the plot out of the way. I hope that the confrontation with Mark and The shoot-out scene will be a little bit more emotional. _


	19. Breaking Free

_Alright, here's the confrontation with Mark. I'm still trying to get a feel for how I used to write, so wish me luck )_

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Liz froze at the gate to Mark's backyard, she was standing with Bobby. Angel had just seen Mark putting the barbeque into the shed, and he and Jack had went in first. Bobby saw her face.

"You alright?" he asked

"He could take me for this. Put me in another foster home. I dunno if it's a good idea." She said quietly.

"No, he won't…not after I get through with him." And with that Bobby entered the backyard.

Liz hesitated just one more second before following and saw that jack and Angel had Mark pinned to the ground. He had struggled obviously and would have a black eye tomorrow. Bobby hovered over him.

"Who told you to put her into a home where she would be killed? Who?" Bobby demanded, remembering what John had said to Liz about the killer wanting to get rid of the child witness. If they could find out who it was, they may just find their mother's killer.

Mark looked at Liz and laughed, "What, you want to do it yourself? Can't handle her any longer? No worries, nobody can. It's not my fault you got stuck with her, Luke gave her to ya."

Bobby then punched him so hard it nearly knocked Mark out. Then Jack began to light one of his cigarettes.

"See that?" Bobby questioned Mark. "Wanna know what that's gonna feel like digging into you're ugly little face? It's gonna burn, through every single layer, ever particle of your skin, and you'll feel every bit of it. It's gonna hurt like hell, and the pain won't stop, cuz we'll do it over and over again until we're satisfied. But you know all about that, cuz those are the kinda homes you put Liz into. Places with people who inflict pain until they're satisfied, where the victim has no control, how does it feel to finally be the victim, hm?"

The fear in Mark's eyes was evident, but he still wouldn't give anything up.

"You know, the next place was supposed to kill her…how would you like to take her place as the victim in that situation? Hmm?" Bobby asked, dangling the lit cigarette dangerously close to Mark's face.

"You don't have the guts." Mark replied, then screamed as the fire burned into his flesh. Liz turned away, remembering all too well what it felt like.

"If I tell you I'm dead!" mark yelled, calming down a bit as the cigarette was removed from his face. "Douglas is dead, he talked to you."

"So it's Sweet. If you tell me now, you can live long enough to get your ass and your family outta town. And I wouldn't worry much longer about Sweet, it seems like he's pissing me off more and more." Angel spoke from where he held Mark down.

Mark seemed to realize he had accidentally given up Sweet.

"Sweet, there I said it. Please, I have a family." Mark began begging.

"Ya, such a nice boy, I met him." Bobby replied. "I leave your family alone and you leave mine." Bobby looked at Liz when he said it.

"Fine, Luke deals with her from now on." Mark agreed, and the brothers let him go.

"Get out of here." Bobby said.

"I think he got off the easiest." Angel told Bobby as the walked away. Jack placing his arm around Liz's shoulders who was just completely silent, and too shocked to say much.

"No, he didn't. If he doesn't leave, if he fucks with us anymore, he's got me to deal with. And he'll always be on the look out for Sweet. He's scared, you could see it, a life in fear, it's what he gave Liz, it's what he has now." Bobby said.

"How does it feel? To have him gone?" Jack asked Liz.

"Unreal, like it's false, but a good unreal. Not the kind where people are lying to you, but like a dream." Liz replied.

And the next morning, when Angel drove by, he was gone, when Bobby called the school, no John Sanchez was enrolled, and when Jack told Liz, the dream became a reality. Liz had broken free.

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_Okay, there was the confrontation with Mark. He didn't get everything he deserved, but I really couldn't kill him, Bobby can't be arrested just yet lol. It's short again, but I don't have enough time to write the shootout scene right now. Hope you liked it!!_


	20. Love Hurts

_Okay, here's the shoot-out scene. I really only plan to have at most two more chapters after this one, probably only one depending on how short I make the last fight scene. It's kind of bugging me that the story doesn't feel the same as it used to to me, but I guess it's mostly due to the fact that the more emotional bits and connections I wanted to make had been established and now I'm just finishing up the scenes that happened in the movie. Liz's background is pretty well understood and she's emotionally bonded with her brothers, so I hope that will keep things interesting :)_

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Liz sat on the couch between Jack and Angel as she heard Jerry's Volvo pull into the driveway. He came through the back door, and the interrogation began.

"What's going on?" jerry asked.

"Why don't you tell us?" asked angel, holding up the envelope with the money Liz and her brothers had found inside.

"No, No, No! You don't know who you messing with!! Where's Bobby?!" jerry demanded, but Bobby came around the corner punching jerry. Angel was up from the couch as jerry fought off Bobby and Angel. Jack and Liz sat motionless, eyes wide on the couch, cringing at the yelling that ensued.

"The insurance money Jerry. Everything's going bad for you, than mom gets shot by some gangsters and you hit the fucking lottery!?" Came Bobby's loud voice.

"She took that out for the girls man! How many years did I take care of Mom, and then Liz and Charlie myself?! Where were all of you? And now your accusing me of mom's death?" jerry was furious.

Jerry's head was now on the floor, as another fight broke out, his body pretty close to the fire as Bobby questioned him about Douglas and the money. "Sweet owns Douglas!" Jerry replied, "He shut me down, ruined my whole life! Why are you interrogating me anyways?!"

The doorbell rang, "I got it." Jack said to Liz, who was about to get up and follow him when more yelling broke out and Liz decided to step in. "Just stop it! He's as tough as you guys, hitting him won't do nothing, he already told you, it's not his fault. I think we should believe our brother!!"

Suddenly Bobby's attention was elsewhere…"where's Jack?" Came his panicked voice. "Omg" Liz had the same feeling as Bobby, "THE DOOR!" Liz she ran to it, Bobby close behind with a shotgun just in time to see Jack get shot in the shoulder down the street by a guy in a hockey mask. Jack had chased him after being hit by a snowball and having his mother called a whore. "jack!!" Liz cried in horror, running further into the street as the gunman raised the gun to Jack's head, but luckily Bobby was able to get out a shot first, sending the gunman to the ground, but not before a van load of other men appeared right behind him. As Jack tried to run back to the house he got shot in the legs, his scream shaking Liz to the core as Bobby grabbed her, forcing her back into the house before she was shot as well.

Angel and Jerry ran inside while Bobby and Liz dove behind the Porch's brick wall, Bobby covering Liz with his arms as the bullets riddled the wall. Bobby began firing back, Liz ducking for cover. The sound of the bullets and Sofi panicking was deafening, but among all of it, Jack's cries could be heard clearly, fear gripping and forming his words, "BOBBY!"

Liz looked at Bobby, they felt helpless. They were so close, but couldn't do anything for Jack, this just enraged them more. When the bullets stopped for a moment, Liz lunged for the inside of the house, running deeper inside, but not to protect herself, but her brothers.

As Jerry began to remember his wife and kids, he ran for the back door, killing one of the men sneaking into the back of the house with a knife from the kitchen. He then ran for his van.

As Bobby was running out of bullets and Angel began distracting the shooters to the top windows, Liz returned, with her gun fully loaded and let off some shots, causing one of the men to fall to the ground. She, Bobby and Angel continued their firing, not bravery, but fear steered them. Jack's screams had stopped, which made Liz even more determined to hurry, but she was out of bullets, as was Bobby. He grabbed a brick nearby. "You get him, I'll get Jack." Liz said, referring to the last gunman standing, and as soon as Bobby hit the gunman, Liz was racing to Jack's side.

"It's okay, everything's fine!" Liz reassured him, putting pressure on his wounds.

His eyes were so scared, "You're safe." Liz said, repeating the words Evelyn used so many times before. This seemed to comfort him, but he'd lost a lot of blood and seemed to be slipping away.

"Please Jack, please." Liz begged, "I can't do this without you, I need you. I love you."

Behind her Liz heard a growl as she turned and saw Rafiel biting a gunman's arm who was right behind her. The shooter she'd hit wasn't dead, and she hadn't even heard him sneak up. The gunman dropped the gun and ran off, Rafiel at his heels. He leapt into the shooters van to avoid being ripped to shreds.

Just then, she saw Angel kick the gun out of a survivors hands and rush to get Bobby out of the way of the shooters van heading straight for them.

"they're not gonna make it!" liz realized, the thought of losing three of her brothers all at once brought on a pain unlike any other she'd felt before.

Just as the van was on top of Angel and Bobby, Jerry's van crashed into it, just barely saving their lives.

The brothers raced over to Jack. "C'mon Jack, breathe!" Bobby said, beginning to cry, "C'mon ya little fairy, breathe!!" Jack smiled at the nickname, but cringed from the pain. Sofi dialed the ambulance, and it could be heard in the distance, but Jack had stopped moving. Bobby got up, went over to the driver of the shooter's van, and said quietly "who sent you". Then louder, "WHO?!"

"Victor. Victor Sweet." Came the reply. Bobby's gun came down.

"Thank God". The gunman said.

"Thank God? You killed my mother and my little brother, thank Victor Sweet!" and Bobby shot him.

As the ambulance arrived, the paramedics began to check Jack, stating time of death.

"Wait!" cried one of them, "a pulse, I got a pulse!!"

"What?!" Liz couldn't believe her ears. "It's faint but it's there, we need to get him to the hospital, now!" they loaded him up.

"You can't ride with him right now, the police need to talk to you." One said.

"I got this" came Green's voice. "I'm sorry" Green said as the ambulance drove away.

"It was Sweet". Came Bobby's voice. "Guy in the bag told me."

"Well I'll be sure to get a statement from him then." Came Green's sarcastic reply about the dead gunman.

"Go see your brother in the hospital." Green said quietly.

"How you gonna explain all this?" Angel asked.

"Self defense." Came Green's reply. "It helps having that 911 recorded phone call."

"What phone call?" Jerry questioned.

Green pulled out a tape recorder, "I need help!!" came Liz's voice.

"Please state your emergency" Came the 911 operator.

"People are shooting at us! My brother's hurt! He needs an ambulance!!"

"Please state your location."

The brothers were in shock as they listened to the recording.

"You called the police? When?" questioned Bobby.

"When I went to get the gun." Liz admitted.

"Isn't that the Mercer residence?" asked the operator.

"ya…" Liz replied.

"Is this a crank call?"

"Can't you hear the bullets in the background?! What kind of emergency response is this?! I could be dead any minute!!"

"Please stay calm miss, yelling will get you no where." The operator said annoyed.

"Calm?! Stay calm?! I'm in a fucking GUN BATTLE! Did you get that!? If it helps, I'm SHOOTING AT PEOPLE!! Not Mercer lives, but OTHER LIVES are endangered, come save them for all I care, just get your asses over here!!"

The call was over.

"I wondered how the ambulance got here so fast." Angel said quietly.

"Go see you brother." Green said again, "If it wasn't for this call he wouldn't have made it this far…and who knows how far he will make it. It's important you be there."

With a sick feeling in their stomachs, they got in the car.

"Please let Jack be okay." Liz begged under her breath as she rubbed Rafiel's ears. This is what she was afraid of, becoming attached. Things always got taken away from her. It couldn't happen again, losing someone she cared so much about. Her heart just couldn't take another hit.

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_There it is!! The shootout scene. Hope you enjoyed it. Only a bit more of the story left:)_


	21. Family Final Chapter

_This is the last chapter. I'm kind of happy to get some closure onto this story:) Sorrie again for taking so long. The fight scene is a little fast paced and more story telling then dialogue, but I figured everyone knows what happens in the movie, so why draw the end fight scene out too much. I hope you all like the ending. Thank you so much to all the reviewers, you make this worth while!_

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"I don't wanna lose you guys." Bobby's voice traveled in from the hallway outside of Jack's hospital room. Liz waited by Jack's bedside, for him to wake up, for his eyes to open, and for his smile that always let her know everything was okay.

Liz could hear them, planning how they would take down Sweet. Jerry wanted to pay Sweet off with Evelyn's insurance money, and was leaving to talk to Evan. Liz prayed it would work.

Just earlier that day they attended Lt. Green's funeral. Just before Green had gone after Fowler for being a dirty cop, he had told the boys what he knew, and how Evelyn Mercer was trying to go to the police and save Jerry's business from Sweet. Sweet killed her to get her off his back.

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"It's not fair!" Liz yelled, as she was told she could not participate in her brothers' plan.

"Stay with Jack, he needs someone here." Jerry reasoned.

"Sofi can stay, I wanna help get them for this!!" Liz pleaded, but Bobby's look was determined.

"You don't get it!" Liz began, "I have more reason to hate Sweet than any of you!! You had years with mom, time together, tons of memories…I had a few months, most of that time was me understanding I was safe, that I had a home, a family. That I didn't need to be afraid anymore. I lost out on so many memories, so much time, time with my mother! I lost out on a chance to start my life again, and I want someone to pay for it!!"

Bobby listened and understood, "Fine, but she stays with me."

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"Not until we get the call!" Bobby told Jerry from inside Jerry's home. Liz was outside distracting Evan using Rafiel, they were all waiting for Angel's call that he had Fowler, and when it came, Jerry got into a van with Evan to meet Sweet, and Liz went with Bobby, who was ready to fight Sweet to the death.

Sofi had gone to the police, saying Angel was planning to kill Fowler…all part of the plan. When the police got there, Angel got Fowler to admit to killing Lt. Green and showed Fowler a fake wire, saying the police had listened to the whole thing. When Angel let Fowler overtake him and grab his gun, Fowler led Angel outside and it looked like Angel was the hostage instead of Fowler, making the police confused. But before Fowler could shoot Angel, the police took him down, Fowler was taken care of.

Out on a frozen lake, Jerry was meeting Sweet. As Jerry told Sweet how they paid his men to side with them, Bobby came into view, ready for the fist fight of his life, Liz close behind.

Right when it started, one of Sweet's men pulled out a gun, aiming it at Bobby, but didn't get a chance to fire off a shot. Liz had grabbed his arm in an instant, getting him to release the gun with a few swift punches into his stomach. Jerry was soon there to help.

"Thought you'd take out Bobby and the rest of us and Sweet would reward you huh?" Jerry asked, holding him tightly.

The fight continued between Bobby and Sweet. Bobby went down, but quickly leapt back up to punch Sweet straight in the back. Victor turned around only to be hit square in the head. He was out, Bobby had won, and it was over. A gunshot sounded as one of Victor's old henchman shot the guy who'd tried to kill Bobby. "Liability" he said simply. "Put them into the hole" Bobby commanded, putting his arm around Liz and walking away across the ice with Jerry. "What about cops?" Liz asked. "Cops? The Cops love the Mercers!!"

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"You said something didn't you?" Jerry asked Bobby after the brothers and Liz emerged from the interrogation rooms bruised and bleeding.

"Of course." Replied Bobby, "I told him I was banging he wife."

"Me too." Angel said.

Jerry laughed, "I did too!"

Liz laughed as well.

"What did you say?" Bobby asked.

"I told them I was at home, watching tv…while you all banged their wives…" Liz said with a smirk.

As they all laughed Sofi began to talk really fast in Spanish into her cell phone. She began to try and speak to Bobby, who grew angry "I don't speak Spanish!"

"Jack's awake!!" she cried.

Liz raced down the hall, ahead of everyone, bursting into Jack's room.

His eyes were closed.

"Jack?" she tried. "Oh please Jack. Wake up. Don't do this to me."

"Do what?" Came a voice from the bed.

"You jerk!!" She yelled as he smiled at her.

Before she could punch him playfully he held up a hand weakly "Hey, injured and in a hospital bed here."

So she just hugged him gently instead.

"Awe, are we ruining a moment love birds?" Bobby teased coming into the room, but you could see in his eyes how truly relieved he really was.

As everyone proceeded to tell Jack of their victory of Victor Sweet, Liz fell asleep on the foot of Jack's hospital bed. He never left her when she needed him, and now Liz would be there for Jack as well. She felt safe with her brothers. Right in this moment there would be no more running, there was no one to run from. She no longer had to escape from fear or pain. She could be herself, trust others, be loved and love back.

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"Everyone come inside!!" Camille Mercer called from the house. Everyone was outside working on reconstructing the Mercer house. "Dinner!!"

Liz ran inside to check on Jack, resting on the couch, playing his guitar. He was restricted to the couch for at least another month while his legs and shoulder healed from the bullet wounds. "You wanna learn?" He asked. "Sure!" Liz replied, she loved listening to Jack play his guitar, and if she knew, she could always be reminded of him.

"Lessons will wait until after dinner." Sofi said sternly, it'll get cold. "Liz, go get your brother." She added as Angel and Jerry complimented the girls on their cooking.

Bobby was still outside, staring at the front of the house, where Evelyn's used to sit. He could almost hear her saying "Sticking around this time Bobby?"

"Thinkin' about it ma." Came his reply.

"Cuz I know someone who may need you to." Her gaze led Bobby to the door where Liz emerged.

"Bobby! Are you coming or what?!" Liz asked.

"Or what." Bobby replied, reminded Liz of herself and her younger brother. Charlie had called just that morning to tell her abut school and their grandmother. He was happy, and safe, which made Liz happy as well.

"Or maybe I'll just stay here forever constantly driving you insane!!" Liz threatened.

"You want to?" Bobby asked.

Liz was caught off guard, staring ahead, trying to decide what Bobby meant.

"You wanna stay? I'm hanging around a bit, jack has to hang around a bit, he can't move, Angel loves la Vida loca, so he's not goin' anywhere. If you need a roof, we got one." Bobby offered.

"I need a family." Liz whispered.

"We got that too."

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_Well, there it is. A little happily ever after, but I thought Liz deserved that. It's kinda sad that she and her younger brother live apart, but if it helps he will come to visit and vice versa, so she's still got him too :) I hope I conveyed how much Liz changes through this, the emotional bonds she makes, and how she finds the family she deserves. Thank you all for reading this story, au revoir!_


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